Rebirth and Recognition
by VagueJester
Summary: Clarke is roaming the woods, trying to escape the ghosts of what she's done, when she stumbles across an unexpected friend. After some thought, she decides to try and find a fresh start on the ground, but running from the past is easier said than done. Especially when that past is the Commander in charge of the city where she seeks refuge.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was beating down on her, making her worn leather jacket and tight pants seem stifling. She pushed a few errant strands of hair from her face and looked up at the sun glistening through the trees, its golden beams shining through the leaves bathed the forest floor in a soft emerald glow.

It had been a month and a half since Clarke had saved her friends from the monsters of Mount Weather. A month and a half since she had pulled the lever and watched as over three hundred innocent souls met their end at her hand. A month and a half since she left Camp Jaha, unable to face her friends and her ghosts at the same time.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and grunted as she continued to skin the deer sitting at her feet. She panted and wiped the sweat from her brow before spreading the entrails around her campsite.

She had quickly grown quite adept at hunting and tracking, even without her pistol. She had only used the weapon once before throwing it away. It was loud and clumsy and impersonal, and once she had learned that almost every Grounder out there was calling her _Wanheda_ and was hunting her down, tossing the gun into the river was an easy choice to make.

Hunting with just a knife had been tough at first, but luck had found her in the form of a Grounder bounty hunter. The struggle had been short, with him underestimating her as just some girl. A quick knife to the throat taught him otherwise, and Clarke found herself with a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

Getting the hang of the bow had taken some time, but Clarke was now confident in her skills, and could hit her target nine times out of ten.

Sun down was fast approaching as Clarke cut off a piece of cooked meat and dug in. She stared at her knife as she chewed. Like most nights, the temptation to simply raise it and end everything with a single slice made itself known. But the more she stared at the blade, the more ghosts she saw.

People who would never have a chance to see the ground; to smile again or breathe the fresh air. Children who would never grow up, never learn about the wonders that were sitting just outside their walls.

And the more she thought about the lives that ended too soon at her hand, the more she knew that, at the very least, she had to live. If not for herself, than for those whose opportunities had been taken away.

She swallowed and sheathed her knife when a loud growl followed by a huff drew her attention to the darkness outside her fire's ring of light.

Normally the sound of growling would make her immediately pack up her things and move in the opposite direction –especially when it felt like the very ground itself shook with the sound of it –but something about it made her pause.

Again the deep rumbling rang out through the forest, and Clarke knew what caused her hesitation. Whatever was out there was in pain, and against her better judgement, Clarke's natural instinct to care for and heal had her moving toward the source of the noise.

She jumped over brush and trees as she followed the sound, ignoring the bumps and scrapes she received in the dark, before skidding to a halt as she came upon the animal before her.

"My God," She breathed.

The gargantuan black bear stiffened at the sight of the human, and snarled at her in warning. She attempted moving, but the trap just dug its large metal teeth deeper into her front leg.

Clarke moved slowly as she reached behind her for her bow, eyeing the massive bear warily. She briefly considered whether the meat would be worth it, but the sheer size of the animal before her told her there was no way she was going to be able to carry it and if she did it would just be a waste since she wouldn't be able to get through it all before its meat spoiled.

And once she met a pair of startlingly familiar blue eyes watching her cautiously, she knew there was no way she could kill the beautiful creature before her. Instead she removed her quiver and tossed it aside with her bow, before pulling out her knife and doing the same.

"I won't hurt you."

Her words hardly put the bear at ease, and she made it known as she opened her mouth and growled lowly at her. She felt the low rumble shake her to her very core, as if the earth itself quaked beneath this great beast. Even in the darkness of early evening, her bright fangs flashed dangerously.

Clarke swallowed nervously at the sight of the bear's teeth, and decided she needed to earn its trust somehow. Slowly she took off her pack and opened it before pulling out some of the meat from her last kill.

"See?" She whispered as she tossed the meat to titanic predator. "It's okay. I just want to help."

The bear turned to the right and snatched the meat right out of the air.

Clarke crept closer and felt her breath hitch as she realised just how big the bear was. It was on all fours and hunched slightly to take weight off its injured leg, and yet its shoulders towered almost a full foot above her head. A quick glance told her it was a female before she shook her head lightly and brought her focus back to the task at hand.

"It's okay." She tried again. She remembered reading that bears were omnivores and reached into her pack to pull out some roots and berries she had gathered. She was about to toss them, but ended up squeaking lightly in surprise when the bear's giant head swung around and took the food straight from her hand.

She couldn't contain her smile at the feeling of a cold nose rubbing her wrist while a big warm tongue lapped at her hand. It almost seemed like the bear was trying to be careful and keep its powerful teeth away from her soft flesh.

"I just want to get this trap off and help you," She said softly as she gingerly brought some more food out. The bear nibbled on the food, her ears slowly raising from their flattened position against her skull.

"Can I help you?" Clarke asked. She inched closer to the beast's injured leg, practically brushing against her now. The bear looked up and held the girl's eyes and Clarke found herself staring back as brilliant blue eyes studied her.

Something like understanding seemed to pass through them before the bear huffed one last time and dropped to the ground with a mighty thud, seemingly presenting its injured leg for Clarke's inspection.

Clarke smiled as she inspected the trap.

"Something this big has gotta have some sort of release, right?" She pondered aloud.

The bear huffed and looked at her as if to say she was the human, she should know how the traps work.

"Hey, don't blame me." Clarke said lightly. "You're not the only one the Grounders are hunting." She sighed as she found the release.

The bear hardly noticed the trap coming off as she seemed to listen to Clarke. Before she knew it, Clarke was recounting her story, from her dad getting floated and her subsequent imprisonment, all the way to Mount Weather and her self-imposed exile.

She hesitated when she started talking about Lexa, and her voice outright broke when she reached the Commander's betrayal at Mount Weather.

"I want to hate her for it." She whispered. A few stray tears fell as she tore up an old shirt and wrapped the leg sitting in her lap. "But she's right. I would've done the same. She was already losing men just waiting for me to get the door open, and e-even though it hurts, I do know it was nothing personal."

Clarke sighed and froze. She watched fearfully as the bear lifted its paw out of her lap and up to her face. The paw was easily bigger than her head, five curved claws, bigger than her own hunting knife, reminded her that it would only take a single swipe, even from its injured leg, to probably knock her head clean off. Instead, the giant beast merely rested its paw against her cheek and stared into her eyes. Clarke swallowed as a feeling of comfort surged through her that she hadn't felt for years.

 _Not since before Dad died._

It was the comfort of a parent, and as memories of her dad surged to the forefront of her mind, she remembered reading one of his favourite ancient history books with her. Stories of Roman gods and heroes told so much that she knew them word for word, back to front, and yet they never failed to take her to another world outside the Ark and bring her comfort.

She looked into the eyes of what she had been told was a mindless beast, and she saw understanding. She saw acceptance. To this bear, she wasn't _Wanheda_ , The Commander of Death, or Clarke Griffin, _Skaiprisa_ , leader of the Sky People and daughter to the Chancellor, she was Clarke, the small girl who helped those in pain because she herself was in pain.

More tears filled her eyes and she leaned into the paw cradling her face.

"Thanks," She croaked. "I guess I just really needed to talk this out."

The bear seemed to understand what she said, and watched as she stood up and offered the rest of her meat. She lumbered to her feet and stood on all fours looking down at the girl who had helped her. Clarke couldn't stop the slight giggle that escaped her as the bear licked her face before taking the meat from her hand and lumbering back into the forest where she seemed to melt into the darkness.

Clarke sighed and allowed herself to smile as she made her way back to her camp. She might not be able to escape the ghosts that plagued her, but at least her feelings for those still living no longer weighed her down. She thought back to that night in front of the gate to Mount Weather and the offered made to her.

 _You should come to Polis. It will change how you think of our people._

And as she lay down to try and rest before the nightmares came back, she thought that maybe, she had found an answer to where she was going. She closed her eyes and rolled onto her side.

 _What a helpful bear._

She thought absently and smiled as thoughts of dark fur and blue eyes followed her into her dreams.

*(OoO)*

She was headed east.

It had been four days since her encounter with the bear, and while the animal had helped her let go of some of her hate and figure out what she would do with her life, she was starting to wonder if she would even make it.

She had decided that she would become a healer upon reaching Polis. She was still hesitant about reintegrating herself with a society, but after evading even more bounty hunters and overhearing them say that Polis was the one place they weren't allowed hunting her, her mind had been made up for her.

She was also aware that going to Polis meant probably running into Lexa, but after thinking about it, Clarke had decided that while she would try not to draw much attention to herself she wasn't going to hide from the Commander.

 _But first I have to get there._ She thought to herself as she stumbled for the umpteenth time.

She may have found it in herself to not hate Lexa, but that did little to stop the nightmares. She would get maybe a couple hours sleep before the ghosts would come back, and since going back to sleep wasn't an option she would often just pack up her things and keep walking.

It quickly got to a point where the only sleep she got was when she collapsed from exhaustion, and as she stumbled through the woods, she was pretty sure that would happen soon.

Her legs were shaking and her eyelids weighed heavily. She stumbled and only barely registered the soft _twang_ coming from behind her. A sharp _thud_ in next to her where her head had been a moment ago filled her body with enough energy to get up and start running. She heard twigs snap behind her as the bounty hunter gave chase.

She cursed under her breath, she was too tired to fight and the bounty hunter was quickly gaining on her. She pumped her arms as hard as she could, and pulled out her knife in one smooth movement, hoping her pursuer didn't notice.

The burst of energy from earlier was quickly diminishing, and she grunted loudly in pain as an arrow ripped across the side of her left thigh before imbedding itself in the ground nearby. She stumbled to the ground and quickly placed the knife underneath her chest, waiting for the right moment.

She gulped in as much air as she could, listening as the bounty hunter came closer.

" _Wanheda,"_ He panted as he lowered himself over her back. " _The Ice Queen will be quite happy to see you._ "

She remained silent as he reached down to grab her shoulder. She closed her eyes, waiting for the right moment. The hunter smirked to himself as he grabbed a fistful of blonde hair and yanked hard.

Clarke grunted as she was roughly pulled to her feet before using her momentum to shove the knife into the large man's stomach. She quickly pulled the knife out, and before he managed to finish snarling at her in pain she tackled him towards the steep incline behind him.

They were a tangle of limbs and grunts as they rolled down the hill before coming to a stop at the bottom. A flash of pain up her right wrist told her it was broken, or at least fractured, and she grunted as she turned and tried to shuffle away from her attacker.

He groaned and raised to his feet. " _You're lucky the Queen wants to kill you herself,_ " he snarled in Trigedasleng. She shivered as he slowly unsheathed his sword and limped toward her. " _But she never said to bring you in unharmed._ "

She tried to hold in her cries of pain as the blade slid over her ribs. She knew that they weren't deep, meant to cause pain not death, but as the pain mixed with exhaustion, she couldn't stop herself from crying out as she felt herself become lightheaded. Hopefully somebody who wasn't hunting her would hear and would come help.

" _And you were so close to Polis, and that bitch Lexa's protection."_ He spat as he dragged the blade across her skin for the fourth time. " _And once the Ice Queen has you, we'll finally be rid of that poor excuse for a Heda._ "

This time her screams weren't just full of pain, but, inexplicably, anger as well. Despite having come to the conclusion that she was now indifferent in her feelings toward Lexa, she still felt herself fill with protective rage at the idea of someone wanting to hurt the Commander and being unable to do anything about it.

He smiled as he continued dragging his sword from her ribs down and across to her ribs. His smile fell, though, when his prey's screaming was overshadowed by an earth-shattering roar.

He turned around and fear filled his eyes when a giant black bear appeared out of nowhere and started charging at him.

Clarke watched, stunned, as the bounty hunter barely took five steps away from her before the bear was upon them. The bounty hunter yelled in fear as he swung his sword at the great beast.

The bear roared again, raising itself to its hind legs to stand at its full height over the man, and swatted at the blade with its great paw, breaking steel and wrist alike. The man cried out in pain before another paw slammed into his side, shattering bones while claws tore through flesh like paper. A moment later, the man was airborne before crashing into a nearby tree with a sickening crunch.

Clarke noticed the fabric around its paw and identified her as the bear she had helped days ago. She watched rage filled blue eyes stare at the twitching corpse for another moment before softening and turning to her.

The bear lowered herself to all fours and looked inquisitively into the blonde's eyes, as if to ask if she was alright.

"Thank you," Clarke whispered. She smiled when a cold black nose nuzzled against her. She could feel her eyes fighting to stay open as she leaned against her new friend.

"You need a name," She mumbled sleepily as that feeling of comfort filled her once more. She once again thought back to her father reading her stories, and an idea came to her. "How about Juno?" She muttered.

She smiled when she felt more than heard her friend rumble in agreement. "Yeah, I like it too." And with that she allowed herself to sleep, confident that Juno would watch out for her.

Juno huffed good-naturedly as she watched the human cub succumb to sleep. She looked around and noticed a nearby cave, and carefully maneuvered herself beneath the cub. Once she was secure, she carried the cub into the cave and set her down once more. It didn't take long for the cub to start shaking and mumbling in fear, seeing this, Juno picked herself up from her post at the mouth of the cave and moved near the cub. She reached out with one paw and pulled the cub in close and nuzzled her hair with her nose. Once she was sure the cub was relaxed and sleeping soundly, she turned her head back to the entrance, watching for any intruders that would bring pain to her new cub.

 **A/N: So, I stumbled across this story while cleaning out my computer and decided that, even though I have a ton of other things to be working on, why not post this here and see what you guys think. I'm currently touching it up, so it isn't my best work, but hopefully you can tell me what you think, and whether you'd like to see more.**


	2. Chapter 2

When Clarke awoke it was to the sound of approaching voices and Juno's stiffening posture. She rose with her new companion and quietly approached the mouth of the cave, looking through the trees in the early morning light towards the source of the noise and found two people limping towards her cave. Once again, without thinking, Clarke ran out to join the man and the woman he was leaning against, positioning herself underneath the shoulder of the one in clearly worse shape.

 _"What happened?"_ She asked as she assisted them towards the cave.

Both men were silent, and Clarke was momentarily confused, until she saw their slack-jawed expressions were being directed towards the monstrous bear lazily watching them. Rolling her eyes, she snapped her fingers in front of the injured man's face, drawing his attention as she directed him to lean against the wall of the cave.

 _"What happened?"_ She asked once more.

 _"I've died,"_ the injured man murmured. _"Why else would Wanheda and Trimani Nomon be helping me?"_

Reaching up, Clarke flicked the man on his forehead as hard as she could, causing him to yelp in a rather undignified manner.

"You're not dead, idiot," she grunted with a scowl as she got to work inspecting the bloody slash on his leg. "And don't call me that."

Looking up, she snapped her fingers in front of the woman's face, drawing her attention away from Juno and down to where she was crouching over her friend. "Go get me some water and firewood." Turning away, she didn't bother to watch as she tore strips from her shirt to make some rough bandages before using her knife to cut open the man's pants. Reaching into the bag she had stolen off some bandits, she rummaged around until she found the necessary herbs she had gathered during her wanderings and began crushing them.

"Why do you wish not to be addressed as _Wanheda_?" The man asked. "Are you not the one who slew the Mountain Men?"

"I am," Clarke replied. "That doesn't mean I'm proud of it."

"You are ashamed for saving our people?"

" _My_ people," Clarke corrected. "Your people were long gone by the time I killed them."

"That poses more questions than it answers."

"Look…"

"Colste."

"Colste. We can continue to discuss why I'm not happy about slaughtering hundreds of people, or Juno here can remind you why it isn't a smart idea to upset the woman who's helping you."

Colste was silent for a moment, probably considering his options, before, much to Clarke's dismay, he spoke once more. "I did not expect you to be so beautiful."

Clarke rolled her eyes, applying slightly more pressure than necessary on his leg as she pressed the rags against the wound. "Once again, there is a giant bear behind me who would be more than happy to deal with you instead."

"Ah, the Forest Mother would not harm me," Colste said confidently. "She is too concerned about her newest cub."

Shaking her head, Clarke chuckled when Juno stood up to loom over Colste, causing him to pale significantly before nuzzling her snout against Clarke's cheek.

"If I am not to address you by that most forbidden title, what do I call the fair maiden who saved me from the clutches of my rough-handed companion?"

"I heard that, you idiot," a new voice called out as the other woman joined them. She once again paused at the sight of Juno, and didn't take her eyes off of her as she gently laid the firewood on the ground next to a canteen full of water.

Grabbing the canteen, Clarke poured some on Colste's wound before adding the mashed up herbs and wrapping the remaining rags around the wound. "There," she announced. "Take it easy for a while, and you should be good as new."

"Clearly you have learned little of our people since your landing _Skai Prisa_ ," Colste replied with a smirk. "We are not well-known for 'taking it easy'."

"I'm well aware of that," Clarke replied.

"What is it you are doing here anyway?" The woman asked after a brief moment of silence. "The rest of the Skaikru are weeks away."

"I'm headed to Polis," Clarke replied.

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious, Echo?" Colste replied. " _Fisa Klark_ and the Forest Mother have come to heal the sick and bless us all with her radiant smile."

Clarke couldn't help but giggle at the ridiculousness of the statement, which only seemed to spurn Echo to join in as well.

"I see what you mean, Colste. Already I feel better just from that brief glimpse."

After that, hours passed with easy conversation. Colste and Echo explained that they, too, were on their way to Polis, and had volunteered to escort her. They both laughed at her desire to remain inconspicuous despite the fact that she refused to go anywhere without Juno.

The bear had quickly become a part of her life that she wouldn't be able to go without. Over the days of travel, the unconditional support and affection helped to keep the ghosts haunting Clarke at bay, and both Colste and Echo did their part as well, talking about themselves and trading friendly barbs to keep her mind off the horrors of her past.

She learned that Echo had been one of the many trapped inside Mount Weather that had escaped after Lexa's deal with Cage. She was on her way to Polis to join the Commander's personal guard, as a way of repaying the debt she felt towards her leader. Colste meanwhile simply stated that he had grown bored of his old home and decided to join Echo when he heard of where she was going.

Slowly, Clarke started to share a few stories from her own past. She explained what life on the Ark had been like, from the harsh legal system, to the way they recycled all water and air.

Along the way, Echo and Colste taught her more about the traditions and culture of their people. They explained a bit of the history behind the Coalition and the various clans of which it was composed. Clarke tried unsuccessfully to hide her reactions to the way they spoke about their Commander, but they were both understanding.

"Of all the people who are displeased with _Heda's_ decisions at the Mountain, your anger is the most justifiable," Colste said as they entered a clearing near the entrance to a small village. Standing outside the gates with Juno, Clarke watched as Colste and Echo explained to the guards who they were, and that they were simply here for a few supplies before making going on their way.

Ignoring the looks of awe being directed towards her and Juno, Clarke decided to let her gaze wander before settling on a pair of young boys who had climbed a nearby tree to catch a glimpse of her. Smiling at the children, time seemed to freeze as Clarke watched in horror as the smaller of the two boys misplaced his foot and slipped, falling towards the ground more than twenty feet below. By the time she regained proper awareness of her surroundings, Clarke was already on her back, the boy held tightly to her chest as his friend came scurrying down the tree to join them while a crowd gathered nearby.

Between Juno and her reputation as some sort of angel of death, none of the villagers had the nerve to approach her, so Clarke ignored them in favour of checking to make sure the boy was alright.

 _"Are you hurt?"_ She asked quietly, shifting the boy in her grasp and taking note of the ginger way he held his left arm. Reaching forward, Clarke paused as another group of children appeared in the corner of her vision, these ones covered in blisters and sores, pleading for help as they burned from the inside out. _"May I see your arm?"_

The boy nodded and Clarke carefully moved his sleeve to take a look at the skin underneath. There was a long gash from just below his elbow to the middle of his bicep, and some careful prodding showed that his wrist was sprained.

 _"Will he be okay?"_ The second boy asked fearfully.

Smiling in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, Clarke shifted the boy in her grip once more and rose to her feet, ignoring the bruises that were already forming on her back and chest as she slowly made her way over to where her bag was sitting next to Juno.

"Colste, can you grab me some wood to use as a splint?" She asked, though she made it clear that it wasn't a request. Colste nodded and jogged into the woods as Clarke grabbed the last of her medicine and makeshift bandages. _"What's your name?"_ She asked as a way of distracting the boy while she prepared the salve.

 _"Bran,"_ the boy replied quietly.

 _"That's a good name,"_ Clarke said. _"A strong one. But you must be pretty strong to be able to climb that high, right?"_

The boy nodded enthusiastically. _"I've climbed taller."_

 _"Really?"_

Their little discussion continued, and Bran didn't even notice when Clarke applied the salve and tied the bandages around his arm before Colste returned with the sticks, which she tied to his arm with instructions to him and his friend to be careful with it.

Unexpectedly, Bran launched himself forward to wrap his good arm around her neck, and Clarke froze as she tried to fight down her defensive instincts. Once the boys had left, several people clamored to approach her, speaking over one another in rapid-fire Trigedasleng. Clarke felt her anxiety grow as the crowd got closer before a hand on her shoulder and growl from behind her made them all pause. Looking to her left, she sighed in relief when she saw Echo standing beside her resolutely while Juno lumbered over to nuzzle her with her snout.

Before she knew what was happening, Echo was leading her towards a tent near the edge of the village, explaining that the villagers were insisting that she stay the night. Clarke was grateful that her new companions had at least made sure that she wouldn't be separated from Juno, and that the tent was far enough away that she wouldn't disturb the villagers when she inevitably wound up waking up screaming.

*(OoO)*

It was just after dawn when the second bounty hunter arrived in the village. He was at least six inches taller than the last one, and was adorned with only a pair of leather leggings and thick boots, his massive chest riddled with what Clarke knew to be kill marks.

"I've come for _Wanheda_!" He shouted. "Bring her to me, and no harm will befall your village!"

Eyeing the assortment of weaponry decorating his form, Clarke inched around the surprisingly quiet villagers until she was directly behind the man. Snagging a knife along the way, she carefully tested the balance and shoved aside the memories of Bellamy and others practicing just days after they arrived on the ground. She watched as one of the older villagers approached the man, and took the opportunity to raise her arm and throw with all her strength. Before the older man even had a chance to open his mouth, the bounty hunter dropped to the ground with a thump, the knife embedded in the back of his skull.

Ignoring the growing chill coursing through her veins and the shaking of her limbs, Clarke strode purposefully over to the corpse and yanked the knife out of its skull, murmuring a quiet prayer for the man before handing the knife to the old man and almost sprinting out of the village to escape the looks of awe and admiration on the people's faces.

Colste and Echo caught up to her around noon, and were mercifully quiet about the whole thing, allowing Clarke time to process as they filled the silence with their usual bickering.

Slowly, the days turned into weeks. Echo had managed to procure a hooded cloak for Clarke to hide her appearance, and whenever they had to enter a village she would always either wait outside with Juno, or spend the entire time with whatever passed for a healer in each place. Because of her sudden aversion to the people, word had not spread of who she was in relation to her deeds at Mount Weather. Instead, rumors started spreading of a forest Nymph accompanied by the Mother of the Forest and two warriors, going from village to village healing the sick and injured.

Colste and Echo found that one particularly hilarious, and teased Clarke constantly about it. The primary reason for this particular rumor – aside from Juno's constant presence by her side – was the fact that Clarke was consistently adamant in her refusal of gifts and rewards for her service beyond shelter and supplies for her and her companions.

Over time, she grew ever closer with Echo and Colste. They both were accommodating of nightly terrors, and were careful with what they spoke about as they made their way ever closer to Polis. She was slowly getting better with the sword under their tutelage, and found exercise helped clear her mind, while the bumps and bruises she obtained gave her ample opportunity to practice the skills she learned from the various healers she had met on their journey. It also helped keep her mind off the fact that every day she grew closer to where she knew Lexa would be, and what she would do when they inevitable ran into each other.

She wasn't naïve enough to believe that she could just quietly join the citizens of Polis and set up shop as a healer. If Juno's comforting presence by her side didn't attract enough attention, then the rumors that had undoubtedly made their way to the capitol would. She understood, as a leader, that Lexa had to make the choice that had the best chance of helping her people, and while Clarke may have still been hurting from the personal aspect of the betrayal, she couldn't find it in her to disrespect everything Lexa had done in her campaign towards peace. That being said, she wasn't about to worship the ground she walked on. Not after seeing the kind of person beneath the mask. All her faults and imperfections proved to Clarke that she was just as human as anyone else, and she couldn't find it in her to think past that.

Luckily, though, she was spared from agonizing over her future interactions with the Commander when Juno froze as they were walking about two days away from Polis. A low rumble started in her throat as Clarke looked around and noticed the various figures hidden in the low light and foliage.

They were surrounded.

 **A/N: There was someone who said pretty please in the reviews, and that was enough of an excuse for me to once again drop the eighty other things that I didn't want to power through and write this. Hopefully you like it, and tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

Lexa stood next to the tree in the forest outside Polis, and inspected the arrow stuck inside its trunk. She had decided to join some of her people on a hunt today, masking it as a desire to show that even _Heda_ was not above helping the common man find food for his family. In reality, she was on the lookout for an entirely different kind of prey.

Having heard the reports concerning the young woman who was apparently traveling from village to village and accompanied by the matron spirit of her old clan, Lexa was understandably curious. Especially when the odd report of _Wanheda_ being sighted lined up perfectly with this visits from this mysterious nymph, and the pattern indicated she was making her way toward Polis. Her chest tightened as she thought of the blonde-haired Sky Girl, and was reminded of the betrayal she had committed at the Mountain. The decision had weighed heavily on her for the entirety of her return to Polis, despite the constant praise her people heaped on her along the way. No Commander had ever been able to free their people from the Mountain, and it was clear on her people's faces that she had just elevated herself to a near mythic standing among them. Even the ambassadors of the other clans had praised her decision, saying that the Skaikru were not to be trusted and had done nothing but invade and kill their people since crashing to the ground in a ball of fire and steel.

However, most of those ambassadors were quick to change their tune and capitalize on the news that Clarke, leader of the Skaikru had single-handedly slain the Mountain Men, earning her the title of _Wanheda._ Whispers now spoke of the one woman stronger than the Commander, the one who did what she could not and removed the shadow that had loomed over her people for decades. Luckily, the Skaikru did not seek any sort of retribution for her abandoning of them, and talks had begun to establish a connection with them. It was through these talks that Lexa had learned the extent of Clarke's actions inside the Mountain, and that she had simply disappeared into the woods rather than join the people she had just finished fighting insurmountable odds to save.

Politically, that meant that there was a woman roaming around Lexa's land with just as much clout as the Commander herself. By her people's customs, if one were to find and kill her, they would inherit that power and be free to challenge everything Lexa had spent years trying to build. More importantly, she couldn't stand the thought of Clarke being all alone, hunted every day. It was for these reasons that Lexa joined the party in the woods outside of Polis. The different rumors she heard all led to the conclusion that Clarke was the nymph, and was making her way to Polis, likely having heard that she would not be hunted within the walls of Lexa's city.

 _"Heda!"_

Moving swiftly, Lexa joined Ryder where he was crouched on the ground, pointing to the sets of footprints crushed into the soft earth. Looking around, Lexa was able to find more, and based on the way two of the sets seemed to be somewhat harder to follow, deduced that they were probably warriors – trained in the art of covering their tracks, but not actively doing so at the moment – the third set of tracks had the telltale signs of Skaikru clumsiness (though significantly less so than the denizens of Arkadia). The fourth set, however, were what interested her. Not only were they not human, but the sheer size and depth of the prints meant that whatever was accompanying the three humans was _big._

 _"I've never seen tracks like these,"_ Fio muttered as he and the other hunters joined her near the ground.

 _"Whatever it is, it's hunting,"_ Ryder replied. _"And headed towards the city."_

Lexa remained silent as she examined the facts, ignoring the way they lined up with her hopes. _"Spread out,"_ she ordered. _"We know what direction it's going. Once we've found it, wait until it's surrounded. These tracks show that it is easily as big as the pauna, if not bigger."_

This made the oldest of the group nod seriously, while the younger hunters either paled in fear, or smirked at the idea of challenging something of equal size to one of the most dangerous animals their people knew of.

Staying low, Lexa moved quickly through the brush, Ryder not far behind. It didn't take long to track down the massive beast, and she froze as she saw a familiar head of flaxen tresses shining in the afternoon sun, while a pair of figures seemed to be arguing just ahead. A light breeze caressed Lexa's face as she watched Clarke walk contentedly next to the hulking form of _Trimani Nomon._ It would seem that Lexa had been correct in her assumption that the various rumors circulating through her people's land, and her heart slammed traitorously within her breast as she watched the girl who had quickly worked her way through all the defense Lexa had erected since Costia's death only to betray her when she needed Lexa most.

She watched as the bear walking next to her sniffed the air and Clarke froze, causing her two companions to stop as well while she looked around.

"Come out!" Clarke shouted.

Lexa was tempted to do as she was told, but disciplined herself as she watched Clarke pull out a short blade from her back and whisper in the bear's ear while the two warriors ahead of her did the same.

"We just want to go to Polis!" She shouted once more. "We mean you no harm!"

"And why should I allow you entrance into my city?" Lexa asked as she rose to her full height and strode out of the bushes.

Clarke's eyes widened momentarily, before her returning to her impassive, yet fiery, demeanor while her two companions dropped to their knees.

"Lexa," she greeted impassively.

"Clarke," Lexa returned, ignoring the looks others were shooting them at their informal greeting. "You never answered my question."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Clarke countered. "Polis is a place where all are welcome, isn't it?"

"I see you've found yourself some new companions," Lexa said, avoiding the question.

"Echo and Colste were headed to Polis as well," Clarke explained. "Though their reasons are their own. Juno and I are simply looking for a place to live where we don't have to worry about being hunted."

"I see."

"I guess you do," Clarke replied. "Now, while it was a nice break in the monotony, _Heda_ , we really do have to be on our way."

Lexa watched, stunned as Clarke simply turned around and continued walking, ignoring her companions shocked expressions as they looked between her and their Commander. One of the hunters reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her as he growled lowly.

"You don't disrespect _Heda_ like that," he muttered angrily, reaching for his knife.

Faster than expected, Clarke grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it until he was on his knees, his own knife pressed to his throat. All of the other hunters immediately snapped to action, drawing swords and bowstrings and leveling them at the Sky Girl, only to freeze as a deep rumbling shook the ground beneath their feet and their attention was drawn to the monstrous bear standing next to Clarke.

"Enough," Lexa snapped. "There is no need for bloodshed."

"There's a first," Clarke muttered, releasing the man and tossing his knife to the ground.

"Clarke," Lexa offered. "I'm more than happy to provide you a place in Polis. However, if _Trimani Nomon_ insists on accompanying you, at least let myself and my men accompany you so as not to frighten the people."

Clarke nodded stiffly and turned to embrace the Forest Mother around her furry neck before clambering onto her back. Echo and Colste finally rose to their feet as Lexa took off to catch up. They made their way through the would in tense silence, the hunters, while not as disciplined as Lexa's warriors, were wise enough to keep their mouths shut as they followed them while Ryder walked just behind her, shooting withering looks in Clarke's direction. Several hours of walking later, and the trees thinned, allowing them to see Polis in all its glory.

Lexa smiled at the awestruck look on Clarke's face as she stared at the high walls and stone buildings before focusing on the massive tower in the center of the city. Farmers outside the city stopped in their toiling to watch her go by, bowing in reverence even as they gaped in awe at the small woman riding the massive bear. Lexa leads Clarke through the streets, towards the Tower, smiling and waving on occasion to the many who pause in their affairs to welcome her back. It's as she does this on their way through the markets that she notices a slight commotion near the back of the crowd, and, before she can do anything, Clarke has already slipped off towards it. Cursing under her breath, she sprinted after Clarke and caught up just in time to see her standing over a cowering, emaciated man, holding the blade of a knife in her bare hand as she stopped a large merchant from extracting a punishment from the thief.

 _"Heda,"_ the merchant grunted reverently as he pulled away from Clarke. _"This man stole from me. I am owed justice."_

Lexa opened her mouth but was interrupted as Clarke shot forward with speed rivaling her own, and grabbed the man's wrist before using his hand to drag the blade across her chest, just above her collarbone.

"There," she grunted coolly, "you've had your justice." Reaching down, she yanked the loaf of bread from the shaking man's hands and threw it on the ground at the merchant's feet. Lexa watched, stupefied for the second time that day as she led the shaking man back to her bear companion and reached into her bag, pulling out a chunk of dried meat and handing it to him. Helping the man onto the back of the bear, Clarke turned to Lexa and nodded her head.

"Thank you for the escort, Commander. I'll see you around."

*(OoO)*

Clarke couldn't help but smirk slightly as she heard the whispers about her sudden dismissal of the Commander.

"Are there other reapers with you?" She asked quietly, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to the man sitting in front of her as wrapped a bandage around the cut on her chest, grunting when she tightened it. She had recognised him from the Mountain, and made up her mind within moments.

"Why do you want to know?" The man asked.

Clarke didn't reply for several minutes. She waited until the crowd thinned as they entered a part of the city where even the allure of the strange girl riding a bear and disrespecting the Commander could not draw them in. "No one talks about you," she explained. "I was informed that you made it out of the Mountain, and that you had been given treatment, but after that, nothing. I figured, if you went anywhere, it would be here. People who do talk still seem to think that you're the monsters the Mountain Men made you." Sighing, Clarke allowed herself to slouch slightly. "It may be selfish, but I was hoping that, maybe, I could find people who understood why I was trying to get away from it all."

The man didn't say anything for a long time as they approached the outskirts of the city, near a large lakeside, where the forest encroached past the walls. Several minutes passed in silence before he suddenly spoke, breaking Clarke from her musings.

"I still miss it sometimes," the man mumbled. "I wake up in the morning, and have to fight the urge to run back to them for just one more dose of it. Some of my friends still can't eat meat without being reminded of… what they made us eat. Some of us still can't stop our mouths from watering."

They came to a stop outside the husk of what Clarke guessed used to be a warehouse before the bombs, and she watched as the man dismounted from Juno's back and called out quietly. Slowly, people seemed to appear from out of nowhere. Five, then ten, then thirty. All of them with the same haunted look in their eyes that she knew she bore as well. Smiling softly, Clarke slid off Juno as well and went to introduce herself when she noticed one of the women in the crowd sway on the spot. Rushing over, she caught the woman before she could fall, and helped her inside, barely taking in the dilapidated living conditions as she laid her down and got to work examining the infected cut on the woman's side.

Hours later, when she lay down among the former reapers in exhaustion after administering the few antibiotics she had left, she found herself feeling at peace for the first time since she learned that the Ark was running out of air.

Maybe, here, helping the ones that everyone else forgot, she would be able to build something of her life, rather than destroy others'. Maybe, one day, she would be able to say she had done something with her life worthy of the pride with which the grounders watched her.

 **A/N: I'm a sucker for Clarke picking up strays. I feel like she would be attracted to the ones others abandoned.**


	4. Chapter 4

"You can't keep doing this," Colste said as Clarke bandaged yet another cut along her ribs.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Clarke replied impassively, standing up and scratching Juno behind the ear as she reached for her bag.

"Taking their punishments," he clarified. "Eventually, one of your strays is going to do something, and you are going to get yourself killed trying to save them."

"If memory serves, your sister is one her strays," a new voice said. Clarke smiled as Colste's sister, Taiga, walked through the door and grabbed her bag from her.

"I can carry it myself, Taiga," Clarke huffed good-naturedly.

"I know," Taiga replied. "But we like doing things for you."

Clarke rolled her eyes, smiling when Juno nuzzled the woman before standing next to her.

"I can't believe you are fine with this!" Colste exclaimed as he followed the two of them down the narrow road towards the market.

"You don't think all of us have already tried to make her stop taking our punishments in since she joined us?" Taiga countered. "Even the Commander has tried to overrule her."

"I vouched for you," Clarke huffed. "She can't do anything about it."

"I know," Taiga replied. "We've tried."

"Look," Clarke sighed, a smile on her lips as she traded a hunk of duck for some herbs. "You don't want me to get hurt, stop getting caught hunting in other's lands."

"Why not just get work as hunters?" Colste suggested.

"Colste, you are my brother and I love you," Taiga said. "But are you really so thick as to think anyone is going to trust a bunch of former reapers with weapons? Let alone to join a hunting party?"

"Fair enough," Colste muttered bitterly. "But it doesn't stop me from being upset about the Sky Princess taking all your punishments."

"Why do you think we're so careful about what rules we break?" Baldur asked as he seemingly appeared next to Clarke, making her smile while Colste stiffened in surprise. Clarke smiled and wrapped an arm around the man's shoulders. Ever since she had saved him from the wrath of that merchant on her first day in Polis, the man had become her shadow, slowly restoring the skills he had before the Mountain Men took him and keeping watch over her at all times. His tall, wiry stature loomed over Clarke, and would have intimidated those around her, were it not for the massive black bear that accompanied her wherever she went.

"How's Graham?" Clarke asked as she made her way towards the fields outside the city.

"His guilt is only outweighed by his determination to avoid this happening again," the dark skin around Baldur's eyes crinkled with a smile. "He says his head still smarts from where you swatted him, though."

Clarke laughed and shook her head. Over the last two months, she had finally started to feel at home among her new family. They took care of each other as they worked to regain the skills they lost from their time in Mount Weather, while shouldering their demons as one. She still woke up most nights with a sob on her lips, but now it didn't take long before she was able to get back to sleep. She knew that the general population of Polis was wary of her, between her reputations as _Wanheda_ , and the Sky Princess, along with Juno's presence by her side, they were unwilling to do anything about the fact that she cavorted about with a band of former cannibals – especially when she was quickly making a name for herself among the poorer parts of the city as a skilled healer.

"Hopefully I didn't knock whatever's left of his brain out," she replied as she stopped outside a small wooden hut in front of one of the farms to the west of the city walls. Knocking lightly on the door, she waited to be granted entrance before opening the door and greeting the family inside with a smile and a bow of her head.

 _"Fisa Klark,_ it's good to see you," a thin woman said as she stood to embrace her.

"How are things, Hieri?" Clarke asked as she stepped back. The small hut was filled with the smell of roasting meat, and Clarke grabbed Taiga's hand as it started shaking, giving her a comforting squeeze.

"He's feeling much better, thanks to you," Hieri replied happily. "We made sure he drank plenty, and gave him the herbs you provided us. His fever broke early in the morning."

"That's good to hear," Clarke replied. "May I see him?"

Hieri nodded and led them to the back of the hut, where a small boy lay beneath a bundle of furs, playing with a roughly carved sculpture of a bear.

 _"Fisa Klark!"_ He exclaimed weakly as she walked over to sit by his side.

 _"Hello Lindo,"_ Clarke said softly. _"How are you feeling?"_

 _"Better,"_ the boy replied, his curly hair bouncing as he nodded his head. _"Is the Forest Mother here too?"_

 _"She is. Would you like to go out and see her?"_

Lindo's eyes lit up in delight, and Clarke helped him to stand, grabbing the crutch for him as he wobbled on his one remaining leg. Walking out of the hut, she smiled as he hobbled over to Juno and collapsed into her furry side, his bell-like laughter filling the air as she snuffled his hair and licked his face.

"It's good to see the boy is recovering."

Clarke stiffened, just now noticing that Colste and Hieri had dropped to their knees, while Taiga and Baldur bowed their heads as Lexa joined them.

"Are you following me, Commander?" Clarke asked evenly, not taking her eyes off the boy and the bear playing together. She knew if she turned, she would find herself swimming in shining emerald pools, and didn't want to give Lexa the satisfaction of knowing she was happy to see her until she had discerned the reason for her visit.

 _"Your coldness is surprising, Healer,"_ Lexa commented idly. _"Particularly considering your warm reputation."_

 _"You've grown too used to the coming summer heat if you find this to be cold,"_ Clarke replied, prompting Taiga to snort, while Baldur elbowed her in the side.

"Is there a reason your companions don't bow before their Commander?" She asked quietly.

"Because our leader stands amongst us as equals," Taiga replied calmly, prompting gasps from Colste, Hieri, and Echo who was accompanying Lexa, while Clarke sighed and turned a withering look to her friend.

"You did that on purpose," she accused, scowling as Taiga winked at her mischievously.

"Those words are terribly close to heresy," Lexa's other guard, Ryder, growled.

"And yet, they are no less true," Clarke replied, not sparing the man a glance as she walked over to Juno. "I vouched for Taiga and the others. They respect you, Commander, but they won't bow if I don't. Now, what is it you wanted to speak to about?"

Lexa bristled at being read and countered so easily. Rumors had already spread of the woman who defied the Commander, and yet escaped punishment for her disrespect. In the months since Mount Weather, Clarke had apparently become only more cunning, openly maintaining respect for Lexa's position, while making no effort to hide the fact that she did not equate Lexa herself with the throne upon which she sat.

Lexa remained silent until they were within the walls of Polis once more, hoping to use the pressure of her people's adulation to her advantage as she navigated the coming conversation.

Unfortunately, she barely got a chance to open her mouth before a one of the reapers Clarke lived with appeared from the shadows and started waving her hands frantically.

"You're sure?" Clarke asked, her relaxed demeanor gone. The woman nodded, and Clarke thanked her, taking her bag off of Juno's back and tossing it to Taiga as Baldur ran in the direction of their warehouse.

"What's going on?" Colste asked.

"Wolves are near the warehouse," Clarke said before Juno took off at a sprint that outpaced many horses while sounding like thunder rolling through the crowded streets of Polis. Within minutes, she had returned to her home, and found three of her friends waving torches at the group of six wolves surrounding them. Reaching down, Clarke unsheathed the knife on her boot and hurled it at one of the canines, burying it in the beast's side as she dismounted Juno and drew the small, thin sword she kept with her while Juno roared with the ferocity of an earthquake.

Their attention on the newest threat, Clarke dashed forward and stabbed another in the neck, grunting angrily as she felt jaws wrap around her bicep and teeth pierce her flesh. She could feel the cut on her ribs reopen, but ignored it as she smashed the pommel of her blade down on the top of the wolf's head, dazing it as Juno dashed in and swatted one of the remaining wolves into the wall of her home with a loud crunch. One of the braver canids tried to attack her companion, but had its head removed as claws the size of large knives rent through its flesh, while Clarke used the knife in her other boot to slit the one that had bit her before throwing it and downing another as Baldur arrived and killed the last with a well-placed arrow through the eye.

By the time Lexa arrived with her warriors, Baldur and the others were already collecting the kills and skinning them while Clarke returned inside to tend to her wounds. Juno notified her of the visitors with a low rumble, and Clarke turned as she finished disinfecting her wounds, hoping she wouldn't need to resort to using the antibiotic seaweed.

"I've worked fairly hard over the last two months to enforce the idea that this is a place of healing, Commander," Clarke said as she ran a needle through her skin, not sparing her a look. "Not even myself or my friends are allowed to carry weapons in here."

Lexa opened her mouth to protest, but an even louder growl turned her attention to the massive beast that was now looming over her. Not only would she not stand a chance against the Forest Mother, but it was clear that the matron spirit agreed with Clarke as she bared her teeth threateningly, and the political ramifications of Lexa disobeying one of the spirits were greater than the odds of another rumor concerning the one woman who stood in open defiance of her getting out. Sighing, Lexa conceded, forcing down the feeling of nakedness as she took the sword off her waist and placed it against the wall where she noticed several other weapons.

"It was foolish of you to go off on your own," she admonished, trying to salvage some of her authoritativeness.

"I'm never alone," Clarke replied easily, wrapping another bandage around her arm. "Besides, it's not like this is the first time we've had to deal with wolves. At least now we'll have some meat and fur that was obtained legally."

"This has happened before?"

Clarke nodded. "Something's pushing the animals closer to the city. Your hunters are loving it. Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

"I've come to ask if you would like to join me in tomorrow's clan meeting."

"No," Clarke replied immediately. "Thank you, _Heda_ , for your concern for me and my friends, but we have a lot of work to do. Be sure to stop by if you're ever in need of any _medical_ assistance."

With that, Clarke stood and walked past her, smiling briefly in Echo's direction before continuing on her way, and Lexa stood, wondering when, if ever, she would be able to hear her name on Clarke's lips again.

*(OoO)*

"Are you out of your mind?!" Echo shouted. As soon as she had been relieved of her shift guarding the Commander, she had immediately sprinted towards the large building near the outskirts of Polis where Clarke lived with her ex-reaper companions.

"Well, I do live with Colste and Taiga willingly," Clarke replied easily, pointing to where the two siblings were wrestling near the small fire they had lit nearby. She had been reclining against Juno, sketching idly when her friend had stormed into her home, causing many of Clarke's companions to stiffen momentarily before the lack of response from Juno told them it was all clear.

"Don't forget taking care of the rest of us," Baldur joked as he sat down next to her, holding a hunk of wolf-meat.

"The last person who relieved the Commander of their weapon, is the _current_ Commander," Echo intoned.

"I respect the Commander, but that doesn't mean that she's above the rules," Clarke said as she rose to her feet to go check on one of her patients who was resting at the back of the massive room.

"You have a strange way of showing respect," Echo groaned. "You know she's had people killed for the way you talk to her."

"If she doesn't like the way I speak to her, then she can leave me alone," Clarke reasoned. "I'm not the one coming up to her while she's working."

Echo watched as Clarke checked the injuries of one of the hunters who had run into a panther during his last trip.

 _"No hunting for at least two weeks,"_ she ordered as she rubbed a salve on the man's wounds. _"I'll be coming by to check on you, and I'll know."_ She helped the man to his feet and walked him to the door. "Colste! Can you make sure Freed gets home safely? I'm sure his wife is missing him by now."

"For you, _Fisa Klark?_ Anything!" Colste exclaimed as he threw his sister off of him and sprang to his feet, making sure to grab his sword on the way out.

Clarke chuckled and shook her head, squealing lightly when the massive hunter lifted her off her feet in a tight embrace before returning her to the ground and walking over to crouch next to where Juno had sprawled out on her back, scratching behind her ear.

 _"Thank you, Forest Mother,"_ he said quietly. _"May you watch over your sunlit cub for the rest of her days."_

Juno huffed and licked the man's face before rolling over and walking up to Clarke, burying her short snout in her hair.

"I'm a healer, Echo," Clarke said after several minutes of silence. "I tried being a leader, and it only took a few months to end with me bearing the ghosts of nearly a thousand people. Your culture might see that as something to be celebrated, but I don't."

"That doesn't explain the way you treat the Commander."

"You and everyone else knows what she did at that mountain. While I can't fault her as a leader for looking out for her people's well-being, it doesn't stop the pain I feel from being betrayed by someone I trusted."

Echo frowned and wrapped her arms around Clarke, allowing the girl to bury her head in her shoulders. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean to drag up those memories."

"Sometimes, I think it would be easier if I hated her," Clarke mumbled. "I see her, and I still can't stop my heart from beating harder. There are times, when the ghosts get louder, that I still call out for her, and I just want to be close to her again, even though I _know_ I shouldn't and then I end up reminding myself of what she did and it hurts all over again."

Echo continued to stand there, holding the girl she had come to see as younger sister of sorts for a long time, smiling when one of former reapers walked over bearing food and a blanket and placed them on the ground before kissing Clarke on the top of her head and walking away without a word. There were many people who wondered why _Fisa Klark,_ one of the best healers in Polis – if not the entire Coalition – chose to spend her time with those who were still labeled as monsters even after the Mountain Men had been defeated and their souls saved. Some rationalized that _Wanheda,_ of all people had nothing to fear from the men and women who had been turned into monsters parents used to scare children into behaving, but as Echo watched them come up to Clarke, one after the other, and offer her some form of comfort before quietly wishing her goodnight, she knew that it was for a completely different reason altogether.

Clarke chose to live with those who once were reapers because she saw herself in them. Between the Sky People, who alternated between seeing the girl who saved them as a monster and a hero, and the rest of the society on the ground, who revered her as a mighty warrior on par with _Heda,_ only those who had been forced to do the unthinkable and live with the knowledge of their actions could truly understand the sheer weight of Clarke's demons, and help her learn how to properly bear them.

Eventually, Echo helped Clarke to the ground and reclined with her against Juno, ignoring the growing wet spot on her shoulder as she stroked her back and waited for her breaths to even out. Unfortunately, sleep eluded them, as a commotion near the entrance to the warehouse drew their attention, and Clarke snapped to her feet, dashing over as one of her friends grappled with someone just outside the building. Grabbing a sword, Clarke ran to the two figures, unsheathing it loudly as Baldur pinned the man to the ground and pressed it to his throat before freezing as she got a good look of his face.

"Lincoln?!"

"Clarke?!"

 **A/N: A second chapter for you all, as I had been hit by a surge of motivation and inspiration. I'm trying to show the sort of emotional tightrope Clarke is constantly walking on, as she struggles with her conflicted feelings about everything, and I figured that the people who used to be the Grounder equivalent of boogeymen would be the best to kind of understand what it is she's dealing with as well as hint at how Lexa's hold over people is slipping during peacetime, considering it's a relatively new concept on the ground, and no one really knows how to navigate it.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Lincoln, what are you doing here?" Clarke asked once she had helped the man to his feet. "If you're caught, you'll be killed."

"It's a long story," Lincoln replied.

"You'll need to relinquish your weapons in here, _Linkon,"_ Baldur said as they crossed the threshold and placed their blades against the wall. Lincoln nodded and acquiesced, divesting himself of the bow and knives on his person as he was led towards one of the fires. His eyes widened when he saw Juno lumber over and his every muscle stiffened as she leaned down to start sniffing him.

"It's okay, Juno," Clarke said quietly. "He's my friend."

Juno huffed and bumped Clarke with her head, letting her annoyance at being constantly woken up be known before loping back over to the fire while Lincoln dropped to his knees.

 _"Trimani Nomon,"_ he muttered reverently. "What is she doing here?"

"I met her in the forest on my way here," Clarke explained. "We kind of saved each other."

Lincoln stared at Clarke as if seeing her for the first time as she went to sit against Juno's side.

"So, this is where you have been since Mount Weather?" Lincoln asked tentatively as he moved to join her. All around the warehouse, he saw familiar faces from his time trapped in the madness of the Mountain Men's control, and his heart swelled at the way many of them smiled and greeted him like an old friend despite his well-known reputation for being a traitor.

"It is," Clarke replied quietly. "I needed a fresh start, away from all the memories of what I had done since arriving on the ground. I met Baldur on my first day here, and his people took me in."

"More like you took us in," Taiga commented as she walked over to embrace Lincoln. "It's good to see you, Brother."

Lincoln smiled and returned the gesture before turning back to Clarke.

" _Fisa Klark_ helped us with recovering from the trauma of our past," Baldur explained. "We were barely surviving before she found me. _Heda_ pardoned our actions while under the influence of the _Maunon,_ but no one would trust us. None of the trades would take us, and we were denied rejoining the hunters and warriors. _Fisa Klark_ healed our souls along with our bodies. She and _Trimani Nomon_ gave us hope."

"How do you survive?" Lincoln asked.

Baldur looked down in shame and Clarke smiled grabbing his hand as she replied. "While I work around the city as a healer, Baldur and the others steal what they can. Usually that just means hunting near the city without permission, but there are times where we get the tools to make things for trading, at which point Taiga's brother takes them to the market and gets us things we need."

Clarke's heart swelled when Lincoln's eyebrows raised yet there was no trace of judgement in his expression. "Evading the Polis guards can't be an easy thing," he said evenly.

"It helps that Echo here lets me know which places Baldur and the others should avoid," Clarke replied, smiling at her surrogate sister.

"I owe you as much of a life-debt as I do _Heda_ ," Echo explained with a shrug. "Also, Titus's constant disapproval of everything you and she do grates on my nerves. I have no issue with causing him headaches when he receives reports of his guards being constantly evaded."

"It also helps that _Fisa Klark_ has vouched for us all," Taiga added. "Though we disapprove, her accepting the blood-price for our crimes is a good motivator to not get caught."

Clarke rolled her eyes to hide her embarrassment, before fixing her gaze back on Lincoln. "You still haven't told us why you're here, Lincoln, and not with the Skaikru."

"Much has changed since you left, Clarke," Lincoln replied with a weary sigh. "After those within the mountain had been looked after, the Chancellor began organizing expeditions to search for the other pieces of your Ark that fell from the sky. On one of those missions, survivors from your Farm Station were found, led by a man named Pike."

"Mister Pike made it to the ground?" Clarke asked happily.

"You know of him?"

Clarke nodded. "Yeah. He was a teacher on the Ark. Everything I knew about how to survive on the ground when we first landed came from him."

"Unfortunately, I don't think he is the man you remember," Lincoln said with a weary sigh. "When Pike and his people landed, they found themselves almost directly in the middle of _Azgeda_ territory."

All those listening cringed. They didn't need further explanation to know that Pike and his people had probably been fighting for their lives from the minute they landed. And without the benefit of a common enemy giving them the first step towards a peaceful understanding with the Grounders.

 _Not that the Ice Nation is likely to be very receptive of anything other than war,_ Clarke thought to herself.

"By the time they joined us in Arkadia, they were convinced that everyone was as bad as _Azgeda._ Within a couple weeks, he convinced your mother and several others of the same thing, and that it was a good idea to colonize Mount Weather. A few protested this, but they didn't listen. I became an outlet for their hate, and it escalated to the point where Octavia and I, along with a few others whose minds I had apparently poisoned had to escape or face execution. I had heard telling that there were other former _ripas_ living in Polis, and I figured if anyone would talk to us without killing me on sight, it would be them."

"Who else is with you?" Clarke asked.

"Raven, a man named Sinclair, Monty, Miller, and Marcus Kane."

Clarke said nothing for several moments, thinking over the situation as she ran through her knowledge of Grounder laws and customs. Eventually, she sighed and looked Lincoln in the eye. "Can you take me to them? I don't want to make any decisions without their knowledge."

Lincoln nodded, visibly sagging in relief. He smiled when a tall woman with a shaved head and an angular face grabbed his shoulder. Isole was among the largest and strongest of the former reapers, though beneath the warrior persona, Clarke knew she was one of the kindest and gentlest of her new family. "Worry not, Brother. We will protect you."

"We should leave now," Clarke said, pushing herself to her feet. "It will be easier to sneak out in the cover of night." She grinned when Juno huffed once more before joining her. "I know," she whispered in her companion's ear. "I'll make sure you get a nice big fish and nap when we're done, though, alright?" Juno rumbled happily and bumped her head against Clarke's, making her smiled as she scratched behind her ear.

Baldur, Taiga, Isole, and Echo joined her, grabbing weapons on their way out the door and returning Lincoln's to him as well, though she noticed that he had stopped and was staring at the words Clarke had carved above the door not long after arriving in Polis.

 _"Omnes homines sunt,"_ he muttered. "What does it mean?"

"It means 'All are human'," Clarke explained as they stepped outside. "It reminds me that everyone, regardless of clan or station, is human, and deserves help, while reminding those who come to me for healing that I don't tolerate posturing and chest puffing while inside my home. People come to me for healing, not to be berated for being weak."

"It's amazing that you haven't been executed yet," Lincoln muttered as they approached the forest.

"Not a lot of people are willing to execute the person walking around with the matron spirit of the Commander's former clan," Clarke explained. "So long as Juno is by my side, and my friends and I don't commit any serious crimes, then I'm free to live how I see fit."

Baldur, Taiga, and Isole all melted into the shadows as they walked in silence for hours. Lincoln led the way east, curling around the lake just outside of Polis before turning north. By the time they reached the remains of a large staircase leading underground and covered with overgrowth, the sky overhead had started to turn a pale grey as the morning sun approached.

Confident that her friends were watching her back, Clarke swallowed down her nerves and followed Lincoln down the stairs, being mindful of where she stepped as they immersed themselves in almost complete darkness. Eventually, they reached the bottom, and Clarke could see the remains of a fire glowing in the distance.

"Lincoln!" She heard a familiar voice call out as they approached the embers and Octavia appeared from the shadows and tackled him in a passionate hug. "You're back," she murmured, sagging in relief as she kissed him slowly.

"Did you manage to find your friends?" Another voice asked, and Clarke choked back a sob as Kane, Monty, and Miller joined them, with Raven not far behind as she leaned against Sinclair.

"Even better," Lincoln replied, turning back to her. Clarke took a deep breath and stepped forward into the dying light. She watched as the others gasped but didn't get a chance to say anything before Octavia cracked her fist against her jaw as hard as she could.

"You bitch!" Octavia screamed. "You've been gone months, and, all this time, you've been living with them?!"

"Octavia, I can explain –"

"Explain what?!" With each word, Octavia approached her, fists flying, while her voice rose, echoing harshly off the walls of the tunnel. "How you abandoned us?" Clarke ducked another swing and glided behind her, trying to avoid her wrath. "How you ran away when we needed you most?"

Clarke flinched at the accusation, and wasn't fast enough to stop Octavia sweeping her to the ground. Her back hit the ground with a thud, and she yelped slightly as she pulled at the wound on her side. The noise had barely passed her lips when the shadows seemed to melt together and Juno knocked her down, pinning her before she could blink. Her eyes widened as she looked into the snarling face of a bear larger than any animal she had seen since taking that first leap off the dropship. Chancing a glance away from the monstrous teeth at her throat, she swallowed nervously at the paw the size of her chest pinning her to the ground like a furry tree trunk, while claws bigger than most knives rested dangerously close to her heart. Her attention was brought back to a pair of glowing blue eyes, burning with righteous fury as the titanic beast growled threateningly, causing the entire room to freeze.

"Juno, no!" Clarke yelled as she hurried to her feet. "She's my friend."

Juno turned a disbelieving eye to her, but relented nonetheless, releasing the foolish girl as she walked over to inspect her cub for injury. Nuzzling her hair as she wrapped her arms around her mighty protector's neck.

 _"Mochof, Nomon,"_ Clarke whispered in the bear's ear. "I know you were just trying to protect me."

The others watched, awestruck, as Clarke interacted with what might have been the single most dangerous creature they had yet to encounter on the ground as if they really were mother and child. Juno grunted and removed her paw from Octavia's chest as she gave her cub a sloppy lick on the cheek before lumbering back into the shadows and laying down, making sure to keep a watchful eye on them at all times.

"It's good to see you, Clarke," Kane said quietly as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. "When Bellamy told us that you had left, we were worried we might never see you again."

"I'm sorry for leaving the way I did, Marcus," Clarke replied softly. "But after everything, I just couldn't keep going the way I was. I needed a fresh start, away from it all."

"The others might not understand it," Marcus said as he pulled away. "But we came to the ground seeking freedom, and it's thanks to you that we have it. I know what kind of weight leadership can put on your shoulders in times of crisis."

"I bear it so they don't have to," Clarke mumbled, smiling as the others stepped forward to see her. She laughed when Monty wrapped her in tight hug, tears in his eyes while Miller smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. Raven was understandably frosty, but Clarke greeted her regardless while shaking Sinclair's hand. "Lincoln told me about your situation," she said as they threw some wood on the embers and took seats all around it.

"Do you think somebody can help us?" Marcus asked.

"Seeing as you escaped under threat of death, I can probably vouch for you, which will at least get you a place to stay in Polis while you appeal to the Commander," Clarke began before turning to Lincoln and Octavia. "You two are different, though. You're both known traitors in the Coalition's eyes."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Octavia asked, her demeanor relaxed, if not more than a little heated.

"Lincoln, I helped save you when you were turned into a reaper," Clarke said quietly, eyes on the fire. "And Octavia, you would have died in the mountain had I not joined you in those tunnels."

"Fuck you!" Octavia shouted. "I would've been fine on my own! I don't need –"

"Octavia," Lincoln interrupted softly. "That's enough. She's trying to help us."

"How?" Raven asked coolly. "By reminding us how much we should be thanking her?"

"Exactly," Lincoln replied. "Octavia and I both owe Clarke a life-debt. You expect us to take the brand."

"What brand?" Monty inquired.

"There's a reason a life-debt isn't invoked without serious thought," Lincoln explained. "For if someone owes one, they must do whatever is asked of them to repay it. What Clarke is suggesting is that we accept the Brand of Devotion, and swear everything we are to her."

"What does accepting the brand entail?" Sinclair asked.

"Octavia and I would renounce everything in Clarke's name," Lincoln continued as Clarke looked away, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. "A brand would be placed on us for all to see, letting them know that we don't even have our names anymore. Our entire lives would be spent by her side, devoted to her."

"I'm sorry," Clarke muttered, shaking as she fought back the urge to sob. "I wish I could do more. I really do. But this is the best I can do."

"Well think of something better!" Raven exclaimed. "Lincoln and Octavia aren't about to be your slaves just because –"

"We'll do it," Octavia interrupted, resolve firm.

"Are you sure?" Clarke asked, tears streaming down her face. Octavia nodded and Clarke stood, walking around the fire to kneel in front of her and wrap her arms around Octavia's neck. "You'll always be together," she promised shakily. "No matter what, I swear, I will never ask you to leave each other."

"Thank you, Clarke," Octavia whispered as she returned the hug, her anger melting away as she witnessed the sheer weight on Clarke's shoulders, even now. From the moment they had landed, Clarke had done nothing but take care of her and the others. Even now, she was proposing this as a way to save her life. She had committed atrocities beyond imagination in the name of protecting her people, and Octavia could now see that while of them fought her every step of the way and judged her for what she had done, the one who suffered the most from Clarke's action was Clarke herself. One of the last things she had said to Clarke was that her best wasn't good enough, but now, she was beginning to understand that it had to be.

Because it was far and beyond better than any of them could have done, that's for sure.

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay. I have no idea why the text was so wonky, especially considering it was fine whenever I checked the preview. Hopefully I fixed it this time. Anyways, a bit more of a look at how Clarke has become affected by her actions at Mount Weather and why she gets away with what she does. I like the idea of her becoming a sort of Grounder version of Portia, finding loopholes and outs in the laws and customs around her. I know I probably should have shown more resistance by Lincoln and Octavia to the brands, but I was trying to focus on the way it hurts Clarke to do this when she knows that she could probably do better, and Octavia coming to understand the sheer pain that Clarke lives with every day.**


	6. Chapter 6

The branding process was quick. Clarke was unwilling to cause any sort of pain to her friends, and so, once her knife was glowing in the flame, she pressed it twice into Lincoln and Octavia's foreheads, leaving small crosses directly in the center before immediately pulling away, as if she as well were the one burned.

"I guess no symbol would be more apropos for a healer," Marcus joked quietly as Clarke immediately set to work making a paste out of some of the herbs she always carried with her to rub on the burns. Both Lincoln and Octavia were remarkably stoic, hardly grunting as she had pressed the blade to their faces, and Clarke fought down the urge to vomit at the idea of what she had done.

"From now on, you will go by O, and L," she whispered as she rubbed their wounds. "You will stand by me, and provide me with advice and support should I ever need it."

"Your will be done," the newly dubbed L replied bowing his head while O simply stared at her, understanding shimmering in her eyes that made Clarke's chest ache as part of her wished she could go back to being hated.

"We need to move," Baldur announced as he suddenly appeared beside Clarke, making even Lincoln jump. Many of the former reapers Clarke lived with had quickly grown in skill when it came to stealth, as the threat of Clarke being injured should they be caught stealing or hunting too close to the city was an even greater motivator than when they were the ones who would suffer the punishment. Clarke elbowed him as he smirked at them, and he continued. "There are a group of warriors looking for you. It seems L was seen entering the city, and _Heda_ has sent a party to find and capture him."

Nodding, Clarke turned to the shadows near the edge of the fire and spoke. "Echo, you and Isole need to get back to Polis so that you aren't seen with me. The rest of us will go out first and meet the hunting party."

There was a subtle shifting in the shadows, telling Clarke that both women understood what she was asking of them before she turned and held out a hand to O and L, who both accepted her help and stood up beside her.

"Don't worry," O reassured her. "We'll wear them with pride."

"I'd rather you didn't wear them at all," Clarke muttered as she led the way up the stairs towards the woods, squinting in the early morning light as she avoided Raven's accusatory glare.

"It is what it is."

It didn't take long for them to find the group Lexa had sent out to find them. To Clarke's surprise, Indra was the one leading the group, and she instinctively reached down to grab O's hand when she saw the look of rage on the general's face.

"I should have known you would be where he was," Indra said lowly.

"Can I help you, General?" Clarke asked as she stepped forward, firmly placing herself between Indra's group and the others while Juno lumbered over to stand with her.

"I have orders to bring _Linkon_ and _Oktevia kom Skaikru_ before _Heda_ where they will be judged and executed for treason."

"The people you're looking for no longer exist, General," L said as he stepped forward, the small cross on his forehead distinctive in the morning sun filtering through the trees.

Indra's eyes widened before her face twisted in fury. "You've gone too far this time, _Wanheda_. The Commander will have your head for this betrayal."

Clarke's eyes narrowed as she walked towards the woman, ignoring the warriors behind her taking cautious steps backwards while Indra subconsciously swallowed in discomfort at the cold fire roaring in the Sky Girl's eyes.

"Your people would know all about that, wouldn't they, Indra?" Clarke muttered lowly. "Tell me, do your warriors tell stories of you around the fire? Do they talk about the mighty _Indra kom Trikru,_ greatest of generals, and wisest of teachers? The woman who could take a simpering child from the sky, and turn her into a fierce warrior with only a few weeks of instruction? Do they talk of how you took the girl as a Second, only to force her to decide between her teacher and her brother? Do they talk of how you left her within the bowels of a beast that haunted your people for generations? How the great general turned tail and fled as soon as she was given permission, ignoring the supposedly sacred bond a First has with their Second?"

"You dare –" Indra hissed, sweat beading on her forehead. Somehow, in the months since Mount Weather, the Sky Girl had become even more overwhelming with her sheer presence alone.

"Tell me, Indra, had I not burned the Mountain Men with a mere flick of my wrist; had I failed to save my people, what would you have done once you had returned to TonDC? How would you have stopped the enemy when they became able of leaving their fortress without fear of being hurt? How would you have stopped your people from being hunted all over again as they decided to claim more and more of your land?" Taking another step forward, Clarke smirked in victory when Indra took a one back. "O and L have devoted themselves to me, as is clear by the brands they wear with pride. If your Commander wants so badly to see them, she knows where she can find me." Without another word, Clarke spun in place and started marching back towards Polis. O, L, and the others followed her in shocked silence. They had all seen Clarke's ability to stand up to the leaders on the ground before, but now, there was a weight to her presence that wasn't related to the monstrous bear at her side. As L watched her enter the old warehouse and slouch against the Forest Mother, he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that they had just felt an inkling of the weight of nearly a thousand lives that threatened to crush his new master every second of every day.

*(OoO)*

Lexa waved off her guard as she was forced to a stop at the entrance to Clarke's home by two familiar faces bearing marks on their forehead.

"So it is true," she muttered as Lincoln used his impressive frame to block her way.

"There are no weapons permitted in here, _Heda_ ," he said respectfully.

"So I've been told," Lexa replied coolly as she waved off her guards with the instruction to wait outside while removing her sword from her belt. Unfortunately, her way remained blocked as Octavia seemed to pluck up her courage and face the Commander.

"We can't allow you entrance until you've taken off all of your weapons, _Heda_."

Hiding her growing frustration, Lexa shed her long coat before removing the twin sashes of throwing knives wrapped around her torso, followed by the knives strapped to her forearms and boots, and lastly the small blade woven into her braids. Finally, she was granted entrance, and Lincoln directed her to a small room towards the back of the massive building. Walking through the building, Lexa was unnerved at the fact that some people did little more than nod to acknowledge her presence, while others ignored her altogether. Entering the room at the back, Lexa forgot whatever was on her mind as she stumbled across a fitfully sleeping Clarke, shaking in her bead as she mumbled in fright.

"I'm sorry," she called. "Please! I'm sorry!"

Dashing across the room, Lexa moved on instinct as she sat on the bed and pulled Clarke to her, stroking her hand through blonde tresses as she whispered soft reassurances in her ear. She kept her grip strong as Clarke's whimpering died down, and gently repositioned the girl so that she could lay on her back with Clarke's ear against her chest. As she held her, Lexa looked around the room, taking in the various medicines and notes along the walls, as well as multitude of drawings, more than one of which of her. Finally, her eyes fell on the Forest Mother, curled up on the other end of the room, watching her warily. She could see the silent warning in the spirit's eyes and nodded in acknowledgement as she continued to stroke Clarke's hair.

She could tell when Clarke had awoken by the tension returning through her body, even as she attempted to bury herself even further in Lexa's embrace. Lexa said nothing as she took several deep, shuddering breaths before pushing herself away, hiding her wince as one of the cuts on her body stretched.

"Why do you insist on taking the punishments for them?" Lexa asked quietly.

"Because I can bear it," Clarke replied, not looking her way as she shed her shirt and reached for another, revealing several slashes along her skin in varying states of healing. "You already know how I feel about your people's system of crime and punishment."

"So you allow criminals to go unpunished as some form of protest?"

"Seeing her in pain is punishment enough, _Heda_ ," a voice said as a truly massive, bearded man entered the small room. " _Fisa Klark,_ may bear the physical pain, but we all hurt whenever she accepts the cuts."

Clarke smiled and embraced the man. "How are the repairs going, Graham?"

"The last of the holes should be filled by the end of the week," Graham replied.

"That's good. Could you find Hudson and tell him I'd like him to accompany me to Hieri's? I was hoping he could help me with teaching Lindo."

"It will be done," Graham said before nodding to her and tossing a piece of fish over to Juno, who caught it out of the air and started lazily eating.

"You are a teacher now as well?" Lexa asked, as Clarke inspected her various herbs and supplies before setting to work packing a bag.

"Without his leg, Lindo won't be able to help Hieri as much on the farm. That doesn't mean he's useless, though."

"How so? He won't be able to work, or fight, or hunt. How will he provide for himself and his family?"

"There's plenty he can do with only one leg," Clarke countered. "Among other things, I plan on getting him started with learning to read and write, as well as counting. As for fighting, isn't that what you and your army are for? Defending those unable to defend themselves?"

"Fair point," Lexa conceded.

Her bag packed, Clarke turned to face Lexa, and for the first time her expression was unguarded – or not as guarded as it normally was, in any case – as she seemed to stare right through all of Lexa's defenses.

"Why are you here, Lexa?" She asked.

"Indra came to me, early this morning," Lexa began, only to be interrupted as Clarke's own walls came back up and she rolled her eyes while turning away.

"You've seen their brands, Commander. O and L are with me."

"Many would see this as a coward's method of avoiding death," Lexa challenged as she rose to her feet and followed Clarke outside.

"I honestly don't care," Clarke replied with a weary sigh. "That being said, so long as you're here, there are people here who would like to meet with you."

Lexa followed Clarke to a far corner of the large warehouse, where several sky people were sitting around a small fire.

"Marcus Kane," Lexa greeted as the man sprang to his feet.

"Commander, thank you for providing us with safe haven within your city," Marcus said as he bowed to her.

"I have done no such thing," Lexa replied, taking note of the flashes of panic on all of their faces. "Though I am not above doing it now."

"But Clarke said she vouched for us," one of the boys said, his somewhat slanted eyes wide with fear.

"Then you are under her protection, not my own," Lexa said evenly.

"I see," Marcus said slowly. "Be that as it may, we've come with dire news from Arkadia."

Lexa turned to Clarke, only to find that she had seemingly already left. Containing a sigh of frustration, she turned back to Marcus and gestured for him to continue. News of the Sky People reclaiming Mount Weather under the influence of the one they called Pike made Lexa's blood run cold. She could still remember the heat from the missile that had been launched at TonDC.

"Luckily, Raven was able to disable the missiles before we left," Marcus said. "And the acid fog was permanently neutralized by Bellamy during his infiltration."

"And the facilities with which the _Maunon_ turned my people into _ripas?_ " Lexa asked.

"When we tried to go inside, we found all the entrances into that section of the mountain locked down," Marcus explained. "When they finally got through, the entire facility had been set on fire. We were forced to abandon it, as it was unsafe. We have no idea who would have done it, though."

"That was _Fisa Klark,_ " Baldur said as he walked over. "She told us of her self-imposed exile. According to her, the first place she went was Mount Weather, where she destroyed any remaining evidence of the experiments that turned us into monsters while burning the last of the red."

"I see," Marcus replied. "Well, I suppose she did us all a service in the long run."

"I'm not sure what it is you expect me to do, Marcus of the Sky," Lexa said after a long moment. "If the Skaikru are going to become a threat, they will need to be dealt with."

"I've come to ask that you keep in mind that the actions of a few individuals don't reflect the thoughts of us all," Marcus explained. "Enough innocent blood has been shed already."

"You're wasting your breath, Kane," the one Lexa knew to be called Raven sneered. "She's the one Clarke learned everything she knew about slaughtering people from. Right down to abandoning those that need her."

"You'd do well to watch your tongue, Sky Girl," Baldur growled as a tension suddenly fell upon them and everyone within the warehouse stopped what they were doing to glare at them. " _Fisa Klark_ has vouched for you – taken you under her protection. Despite the fact that each of your faces bring the _kripas_ she battles to the surface, she and _Trimani Nomon_ have sworn to keep you safe in this city of snakes and politicians while you seek _Heda's_ counsel."

Raven seemed to settle for the time being and Lexa turned back to Marcus. "I well send word to TonDC and the surrounding villages to be vigilant of any hostilities," she offered. "But you know as well as I do how my people handle those that attack us."

"I understand," Marcus said tiredly. "Thank you, Commander."

Lexa nodded and made her way to the door where her guards were waiting. Deciding to take care of some her less pressing duties until Clarke returned from her work around the city, she quietly entered the lower floor of the Tower, and made her way to the Hall of Memories. Inside the massive room, piles upon piles of tomes and scrolls from the Old World covered the floor. Generations of Commanders and Flame Keepers had slowly tried to make their way through the accumulated knowledge from Before, sorting them based on their utility. However the process was slow-going and not even a single shelf had yet to be filled. Lexa herself had only contributed a single volume to the collection: a thin tome, presumably for children, about a conflict between two peoples concerning which side of their bread on which they preferred to spread butter. Suffice to say, she had decided to find a better way to spend her time since then.

Lighting a candle, Lexa grabbed a random text and pretended to read it for several hours, her mind wandering as she considered how drastically her life had changed since a certain girl with hair like the sun had literally fallen into her life. Eventually, she knew she could put things off no longer, and stood, blowing out her candle before rejoining her guards outside. The sun was well on its way towards the horizon, and lit the sky with a blaze of pinks and violets. The air was considerably cooler as she made her way back towards the warehouse near the outskirts of her city. She had no idea that the conditions within Polis could be so deplorable, with several of the buildings missing roofs, or being little more than a skeletal husk supporting a tent. She did notice, however, that there was evidence of repairs on several of them, and figured that a certain Princess was responsible for that as well.

Removing her weapons with a scowl, Lexa instructed her guards to wait outside as she entered the warehouse and was met by the sound of singing and laughing from all over. It warmed her heart to see those the most haunted by the Mountain Men able to smile and enjoy themselves from time to time as she walked through the building towards the room in the back, nodding to several of those who greeted her on the way. Upon reaching the room in which Clarke slept, she knocked on the door and entered without a word. She found Clarke inside, leaning against the Forest Mother as she sketched on a piece of paper propped against her knees.

Maintaining her silence, Lexa took a seat on Clarke's bed and merely watched her. Taking her time, she carefully etched every detail of the girl sitting before her into her mind's eye as she continued with her drawing. Eventually, Lexa sighed, and turned her attention towards the wall opposite her as she spoke.

"I never ordered a party to go after Lincoln."

Clarke frowned and lowered her pad to the ground beside her as she examined Lexa with a critical eye. "What do you mean?"

"I only learned that Lincoln had been spotted within Polis when Indra came to me after her confrontation with you." Lexa smirked slightly. "She was rather disturbed, caught between shame and rage as she told me what happened."

"Nothing I said was false," Clarke replied.

"No, but you applying the brand to O and L has angered more than a few people."

"As I said, I don't care. Lincoln and Octavia no longer exist, your people got their pound of flesh."

"Pound of flesh?" Lexa repeated, confusion evident.

"It's an expression," Clarke explained. "It means something that is strictly or legally required, but is ruthless or inhuman to demand. It's from a classic from the Old World. Though from what I've seen, I wouldn't be surprised if your people used it as punishment for not screaming loud enough in a fight or something."

"I've told you, Clarke, our ways ensure our survival," Lexa said, fighting to stay calm. "Blood must have blood."

"You know there was a saying like that in the Old World as well."

"Is that so?"

"An eye for an eye."

"It seems even they understood how things worked down here," Lexa said, a hint of smugness tingeing her voice. "If someone were to take your eye, it would only be right you take his."

"Until his brother demands your brother's eye, and your brother's wife demands that of his brother's child, and so on and so forth," Clarke countered. "That's why the actual saying is 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind'. _Jus drein jus daun_ is nothing more than an excuse to justify revenge while others clamor to be able to watch. It glorifies violence, and you know it. If you didn't, the Ice Nation would never be part of the Coalition."

Lexa froze as she considered what Clarke was saying. Eventually, she sighed and set it aside to address the issue she had come there to discuss.

"Come to tomorrow's meeting," she said, as close to pleading as she could manage.

"No," Clarke replied coolly. The silence was tense as they stared each other down before Clarke sighed and averted her gaze. "I love these people, Lexa. Not just my family inside this warehouse, but the ones I go out to see every day. They took me in, and gave me a second chance. In return, I do what I can to ease their pain, cure their sicknesses, and keep them healthy. "

"If you love them as I do," Lexa began. "Then join me –" She was interrupted when Clarke pressed a pale finger to her lips.

"I can't do that, Lexa."

"Why are you so adamant in your refusal?" Lexa demanded as Clarke turned around. Her patience for this dance was wearing thin. Her position may demand it of her, but she was still a warrior. She'd rather spar with swords, rather than words. "You have the potential to accomplish so much –" She was cut off once more, only this time it was by a fist cracking against her jaw with surprising speed and force.

"Don't think you can manipulate me like one of your generals or ambassadors, Commander," Clarke hissed furiously, cold flames shining in her eyes. "It won't work a second time."

"A second time?" Lexa asked carefully.

"Have you forgotten already?" Clarke demanded. "Leaving me alone in that mountain as you turned your back and walked away."

"No," Lexa replied softly. "I remember."

"So, knowing that, did you _really_ think I wouldn't see through your actions?"

"I wasn't trying to –" She was cut off once again as another fist came flying her way. She was getting rather tired of being punched.

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Clarke roared. "Don't you get it? I don't trust you on _any_ level! Not politically! Not professionally! And _especially_ not personally!"

"Is this about me kissing you?" Lexa asked cautiously. Not only was she wary of the unbridled rage rolling off of Clarke, but she was suddenly becoming very aware of the six-foot tall bear standing not five feet from them as well.

"This is about you telling me you care about me, and then leaving me when I needed you most!" Clarke screamed.

"Clarke," Lexa said softly. "I did what I had to –"

"You and I both know that's not what I'm talking about! This isn't about you doing what was right for your people, because I get that! I do! Hell, this isn't even about you going behind my back – even though I probably would have agreed with you – because I get that! This is about you giving me hope and taking it away! This is about you making me think that, one day, I could be happy! Away from the killing and the constant struggle to survive. That I deserved to be happy, when you had no right!"

Lexa was ready for it this time, and caught the wildly flailing limb as she brought Clarke close to herself.

"Clarke," she whispered. "I'm sorry…" She trailed off as she knew there was nothing else she could say. She realised her mistake, though, when Clarke stiffened and looked up at her, somehow angrier than before.

"NO!" She thundered. "You don't get to apologize! You're the Commander of an entire people! You don't get that luxury!" Lexa nodded stiffly, schooling her features as she did so. She deserved everything Clarke had to say, not for the betrayal, like the blonde said, but for toying with this beautiful creature's emotions in the midst of a war where anything can happen without a moment's notice. "Now, after having finally put together a life for myself and starting to work through some of my issues, you're trying to manipulate me into throwing it all away and you won't even tell me why!"

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Lexa demanded, cringing internally as she became defensive. Clarke was justified in her anger, yet Lexa still couldn't stop herself from being on edge whenever the other girl saw through her.

"I need you to be honest with me, Lexa." She said quietly, the fight leaving her voice. "What do you really need of me?"

Lexa sighed and ran a hand over her chocolate braids. "Politically, professionally, or personally?"

"Start with why it's so important I attend the meeting tomorrow."

"There are growing tensions between the Clans. The Ice Queen is looking to start a war, and killing you would be the perfect spark to ignite the flames of battle. On top of that, the other clans are wary of the Sky People colonising Mount Weather. They fear your people will become the next Mountain Men. I need you to help ease tensions between the Coalition and the Skaikru. I need the Ice Nation to see that not only am I not afraid of you, but that I have your support. You're actions both before and after the Mountain have made you a legend among our people. They respect and love you for your warm and caring attitude –something we are not accustomed to seeing in one such as yourself- while simultaneously fearing your wrath and prowess on the battlefield. I need the one who felled our greatest foe to stand by me, especially when the Forest Mother, matron spirit of my clan, has chosen to watch over you."

Clarke swallowed as she listened to Lexa's heartfelt words, trusting their logic more than their sincerity.

"Everyone in Polis knows of you by now," Lexa continued. "Not just for your exploits in battle, but for the kindness and care you show for all people, regardless of rank or station. Many of them already look to you as a sort of day-to-day leader, second only to me. They come to you with their problems looking for guidance, and you show them time and time again that you are more than willing to provide it." She paused and made sure she wore none of the masks she usually did as she tried to speak her next words as earnestly as possible. "You owe these people nothing, and it is not fair of me to ask you, but I need you to be that leader for them."

Clarke said nothing as she turned away and walked back towards the city, considering Lexa's words. She had meant it when she said that she knew nothing was more important to Lexa than her people. Clan didn't matter to the Commander, everyone was her people, and the more she watched them and lived with them, the more Clarke saw them as her people too. She sighed and allowed her gaze to fall on the city stretched out before her and found herself coming to a decision; she loved these people too much to not want peace, but as they approached the gates to the city, her distrust forced her to turn and stare at the Commander once more.

"Alright," She said. "I'll help you."

 **A/N: So, things are starting to get moving now that I've got some of the setup done, we can get to work on Clarke diving back into her role as a leader, albeit unwillingly, as well as her and Lexa working through some of their issues. Hopefully, you guys like it and tell me what you think! Ta ta for now!**


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Lexa arrived to find Clarke sitting outside, leaning against Juno as she sharpened the short, thin blade she was occasionally seen walking around with. As she approached, Lexa noticed there were chips along a good portion of the blade, while the tip had a relatively large one making it look not dissimilar to a hook.

"I don't think sharpening it will do anything to salvage what's left of that blade," she commented as Clarke continued to run the whetstone across its edges.

"Their intentional."

"Why would you intentionally use a damaged sword?"

"Because it's not damaged," Baldur replied as he stepped out, slinging his own blade across his back as he bowed his head to her.

"The teeth make it so I don't have to use as much strength to cut," Clarke explained. "The hook like shape is for stabbing. The sky people would be hard-pressed to heal a wound made from this type of blade, other healers would find it impossible."

"For someone who abhors violence, that's a rather grisly tool to carry," Lexa observed as Clarke slid the blade back into its sheath.

"That's because I'd only use it if I needed to take a life," Clarke replied. "And I'm fairly good at navigating around those kinds of situations."

Lexa nodded grimly and walked beside her as they made their way towards the Tower, taking note of how Baldur, O, and L followed them, with Juno not far behind.

"I suppose you expect me to allow them entrance to the meeting as well?"

"Under no circumstances to I go anywhere without Juno," Clarke replied harshly. "O and L have sworn themselves to me, and thus accompany me even when I don't want them to, and Baldur would not let me leave home unless he could come as well."

Baldur smiled and nodded his head pleasantly towards Lexa while Clarke rolled her eyes.

"So long as they don't make their presences known, I will allow it," Lexa replied.

"Just so you know, Lexa, the minute I think I'm there to simply nod my head and agree with whatever you say, I'm leaving," Clarke warned.

"It never crossed my mind," Lexa replied, smiling lightly.

"Yes it did," Clarke said before walking on, causing her smile to fade.

They walked in silence, apart from the people who happily greeted both Clarke and Lexa, occasionally stepping forward to offer Juno a piece of meat, or some berries. Once inside the Tower, Lexa became hyper aware of the eyes following them, making sure to keep her own forward until they had stepped foot inside the throne room and realized that one of them was missing.

"Where is Baldur?" She asked, having not even noticed as the man disappeared.

Clarke shrugged. "Somewhere within earshot," she replied. "I'm usually pretty good at finding the others, but only Juno can really sniff him out if he doesn't want to be seen." Sitting on the ground against Juno in the corner of the room, partially hidden by the shadows. Clarke watched as Lexa took a seat on her throne before the ambassadors from the twelve clans trickled in, followed by a slender man with a bald head covered in tattoos.

Predictably, her reception was less than cordial as the other clan members. The only ones to regard her with anything other than contempt or disgust were a tall, pale woman with long brown hair who smiled almost dreamily and a man whose age and clear exposure to the sun over many years made his skin sag and look like leather while his eyes sparkled brightly with interest. Making sure to keep an eye on those two, she continued looking around the room, quickly pointing out the ambassador from the Ice Nation by his thick furs, despite it being early summer.

" _Heda! What is the meaning of this?"_

 _"This is a closed meeting!"_

 _"She is not even of the clans!"_

 _"She looks no better than a simple commoner!"_

 _"What does she know of leading?"_

 _"She likely doesn't even bare any kill marks!"_

Rolling her eyes, Clarke remained seated and nodded to Lexa. Closing her eyes and only half-listening as Lexa enforced their silence and made sure the meeting got underway, stating that Clarke was an honoured guest. Afterwards, Clarke listened as the ambassadors clambered to be heard over one another, taking the time to listen to their complaints, even as Lexa shut them down in order to start building a mental picture of what was going on around the Coalition.

She listened as the delegate from the Rock Line complained of bandits, though there was an undercurrent of desperation and accusation in his tone as he spoke that told her there was more to that story than he let on. Meanwhile, the Boat People and the Lake clans were uniting against the Glowing Forest and Broadleaf clans, who were apparently infringing on their fishing zones, while the Shadow Valley and Plain Rider clans were feeling threatened by something, though they were reluctant to say more in an open setting. Other than that, there was just the typical disputes over trading routes and hunting zones, though with the addition of chest pounding that Clarke had come to find typical since arriving on the ground.

She remained mostly ignored throughout the meeting, and by the time they ambassadors were leaving, she was surprised at the lack of mention of the Sky People. Eventually, the only one to remain behind was the bald man whom Clarke had noticed had a bad habit of speaking in Lexa's place and putting words in her mouth as she tried to solve the various issues before her diplomatically.

" _Heda! It was unwise to bring this outsider to the meeting without having consulted me,"_ the man said the moment door closed behind the last of the ambassadors.

"You forget your place, Titus," Lexa replied coolly. "I am _Heda,_ I don't need to answer to you or anybody else for that matter. You, however, have seemed to deluded yourself into thinking you can order my general to organize a hunting party without my knowledge or consent."

"Forgive me, _Heda_ ," the man said, bowing low, though Clarke took note of the lack of sincerity in his features. "You were indisposed when word of the traitor's appearance within the city reached my ears, I simply thought it prudent to send out a party immediately. However, that does not explain why _she_ is here."

"I'm here because I was invited," Clarke replied calmly. Rising to her feet, Clarke fought down a smirk as she walked towards the door and his eyes widened as Juno, O, and L walked out of the shadows behind her. "Is there somewhere you would like to meet within the Tower, Commander? Or am I free to go?"

"There is," Lexa replied, rising to her feet as she continued to glare at Titus. "Make no mistake, Flame Keeper, we will be discussing the liberties you have been taking in the future. For now, though, leave us."

Titus scowled and bowed before leaving, giving Clarke and Juno a wide berth as he stormed out of the room. Once the door had closed behind him with a slam, Lexa sighed and some of the tension released from her shoulders.

"Come," she said tiredly, pointing towards a door to the side of her throne. "There is a place I wish to show you where we can speak in peace."

Clarke nodded and quietly followed Lexa through the door, into a series of dark tunnels.

"So, what do you make of the other clans?" She asked.

"I think that a few of them see your Coalition as nothing more than a farce," Clarke replied easily. "They only continue to respect your authority so long as they benefit from it."

"It makes sense," Baldur said as he seemingly appeared next to her, making Lexa stiffen just slightly. "Before the Coalition, _Heda_ was a wartime leader only. An impartial observer to oversee alliances and disputes between the warring clans. They see no reason to defer to her during peacetime."

Walking through a set of heavy doors, Clarke nodded to Baldur, O, and L to wait outside as she followed Lexa into a massive room completely filled with books.

"What is this place?" She asked in awe as she surveyed the stacks of texts.

"This is the Hall of Memories," Lexa replied. "Generations of Commanders and Flame Keepers have collected whatever knowledge we could from the Old World, with the goal of learning from those who came before. Unfortunately, with only the two of us, there has been little progress in sorting out those that could be useful from those that aren't."

"So I see," Clarke replied. "You know, any of the Sky People would be able to sort through and organize these in no time at all."

"I am aware," Lexa replied. "However there is only one that I trust enough to allow in here."

"Me?" Clarke asked, unable to fully stop the smile from forming as Lexa nodded.

"Titus rarely ventures in here," she explained. "His obsession with the sacred relics ends with those of the First Commander. He thinks it foolish to try and gleam knowledge from those who came before."

"Your Flame Keeper is an idiot," Clarke replied flatly. "Which ones have you gone through?"

"Just one," Lexa replied pointing to small collection of books on one side of the room. "I believe it to be a children's tale, and considering I was in the middle of forming the Coalition, found myself inclined to believe him as I found no wisdom within its pages."

"You clearly weren't trying hard enough," Clarke said as she walked over to the shelf containing what she assumed to be 'useless' books. "Children's books often had some of the most important lessons to teach." Grabbing the one Lexa indicated, and reading the title, she smiled as she flipped through the worn pages. "This one you read, for example, talks about the tensions between two nations, constantly on the brink of war as they develop more and more powerful weapons in case the other were to attack. The irony is that the fear and paranoia keep them from understanding that they aren't very different at all as they simply continue to prepare for the other to make the first move."

"I had no idea," Lexa muttered, awestruck as Clarke took the book and moved it over to the side containing the more useful texts.

"There is no such thing as a useless book," she said. "You just have to learn how to apply the knowledge therein."

"Does that mean you will help me?" Lexa asked hopefully.

"I can help go through and organize them," Clarke said, crouching and reading through the various titles. "But I still have my other responsibilities to deal with, so I'll expect you to read through any books I give you as well, regardless of what anyone else says."

"I think I can do that," Lexa replied.

"In that case, why don't you start with this one," Clarke said handing a thick leather-bound book to her. Lexa took it with a smile and looked down to read the title.

" _The Iliad."_

Over two hours later, Clarke had finished relaying and discussing her observations from the meeting with Lexa and was back outside, walking down the street towards her home with Juno, Baldur, O, and L.

"You know you don't have to help her, right?" O asked cautiously.

"I know," Clarke replied. They continued to walk in silence until they reached the warehouse and were surprised to see a familiar face standing outside the door.

"Hello, _Wanheda,_ " Luna said with a smile as she approached.

"Luna, to what do I owe the honour?"

"I was looking for a healer, and this nice young boy directed me here, saying that you were the best healer in the city."

"And for what reason do you need a healer?" Clarke asked as she removed her sword and stepped inside, waving Luna in to do the same.

"Well," Luna said pleasantly, as she took a seat across from Clarke on a pair of fur cushions before revealing a large red spot underneath her cloak with a dagger sticking out of her side. "It would appear someone tried to assassinate me after the meeting this morning."


	8. Chapter 8

"You seem to have a remarkable lack of curiosity concerning an attempt on my life," Luna said calmly as Clarke stitched up the stab wound on her side.

"The wound isn't poisoned," Clarke replied neutrally. "So knowing who attacked you isn't going to increase my ability to help you."

"You are indeed a strange one, _Klark kom Skaikru,"_ Luna observed.

"I abandoned the Sky People months ago," Clarke said. "I don't have any ties to any one particular people – aside from those under my protection."

"That's nonsense, Clarke," Kane interjected as he walked over. "You'll always be one of us."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Marcus, but I'd rather leave the past behind me."

Clarke continued to take care of Luna's wound, carefully noting everything she can about it. Once finished, she wrapped it in bandages, and sent the woman on her way.

"Thank you for your help," Luna said as she walked away.

Once she was gone, Clarke breathed a sigh of relief and decided that it was time to turn in.

*(OoO)*

A week had passed since Clarke had accompanied Lexa to the meeting and given spoken with her within the Hall of Memories. Ever since helping Luna, Clarke and her friends had found that at least one of the ambassadors, was having her followed nearly all the time. The only other one to speak to her in person though, was Mado, of the Desert. He came complaining of a cough, and Clarke gave him some paste to rub on his chest that would make his breathing easier. Beyond that, it seemed that the other ambassadors were interested in learning about her, with Clarke's former-reaper friends having stopped more than one stalker with more violent intentions towards her.

She had yet to actually attend another meeting, however, and was just returned from her lessons with Lindo, teaching him how to read, when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she whirled around to meet the scowling face of Titus watching her.

"Can I help you, Flame Keeper?"

Titus said nothing as he watched Lindo return to his mother as they prepared dinner and Clarke rolled her eyes.

"The boy should have been left to die," He said harshly. "I heard the reports. His heart had apparently stopped twice, and you somehow brought him back. Now he is nothing but a burden. You disrupt the natural order of things."

"I don't care," Clarke countered as she continued walking only to be halted when he grabbed her arm tightly. "Let. Go."

"You are in no position to make demands of me, girl," Titus snarled. He froze, however, as a low rumbling shook the air around them, and turned to look up into the snarling face of Juno looming over him.

Clarke smirked. "No, but _ai Nomon_ is."

"Mark my words, girl, I will find out how you have ensnared one of our spirits while spitting upon our traditions," Titus promised as he released her arm.

"Did you have something of importance to tell me, Titus," Clarke asked. "Or did you just come by to drop by to spit threats and empty rhetoric?"

"If you value your life, you will avoid _Heda_ from now on," Titus growled.

"Why's that?" Clarke continued. "Afraid of what might happen if she keeps thinking for herself? Besides, she's the one who seeks me out."

"I've given you the courtesy of a warning," Titus said, turning around to walk away. "Expect nothing more."

"Oh, I know exactly what to expect, Flame Keeper," Clarke murmured to herself as he walked away. She had been wondering when she would be confronted by him. Especially considering the fact that Lexa now felt comfortable enough to share her _many_ complaints about the man whenever they managed to snag a few moments alone.

"Don't worry," O said as she stood by Clarke's side. "We won't let him anywhere near you."

"I know," Clarke replied, gripping her friend's shoulder. As much as she hated the fact that O and L were now treated as less than human, she couldn't deny the advantage having two guards who were purposefully ignored provided.

It took another three days for anything of substance to happen to Clarke. She had just been returning from picking some herbs in the woods near her home, enjoying the warmth of the evening sun, when she spotted Lexa sitting with Marcus near the entrance and groaned quietly in exasperation. O snickered behind her, and she sent the girl a withering glare while L chuckled next to her.

"She's persistent, I'll give her that," O noted before removing her sword and making her way inside.

Clarke rolled her eyes, ignoring the heated glare being directed from where Raven was sitting as she strolled over to greet Monty and Miller.

"Hey guys. Any idea what that's about?" She nodded her head towards where Lexa and Marcus were huddled together.

"Not sure," Monty replied. "They've been like that for the last several hours."

"How's that patient of yours doing?" Miller inquired.

"Good. He can read and write his name now, as well as a bunch of basic words and phrases."

She spent several more minutes exchanging pleasantries with them, painfully aware of Lexa's gaze on her back, before excusing herself and retiring to her little place at the back of the warehouse. Taking a deep breath, Clarke slung her bag over by her rarely-used bed, smiling when Juno huffed at her tiredly before shedding her trusty jacket. She may have transitioned into typical Grounder garb not long into her stay at Polis, but the dark blue jacket she wore had been with her through too much for Clarke to throw away. It was her armor against the outside world.

She was just about to sit down next to Juno when she heard someone join her.

"What is it?" She asked, making no effort to hide the exhaustion in her voice.

"The Raven girl has gotten herself into some trouble," the voice behind her said.

Sighing, Clarke grabbed her jacket once more and turned around to face her visitor, smiling at the concerned expression on his face. "Thank you, Jax. Could you and Isole join me, please?"

"You don't even need to ask," Jax replied as he turned to go fetch Isole while Juno stood up behind her.

"What's the situation?" She asked as she grabbed her sword and slung it across her back.

"Knowing Raven, she probably insulted someone's virility or something," O replied, falling into step next to L behind her.

"She's being held in the market square," Jax informed her.

Nodding, Clarke leapt onto Juno's back and allowed herself to be carried at a breakneck pace towards the market in front of the Commander's Tower. Within minutes, she had arrived, the sound of the crowd gathered to watch making it easy to find. She narrowed her eyes when she saw a large man holding Raven's arms above her head with one hand while dragging a wicked-looking knife across her stomach.

"Shall we show her what happens when she disrespects our _Heda?"_ The man shouted. Shouts erupted from the crowd, and the man smiled cruelly. The shouting died down, however, when Juno released an earth-shaking growl, and all eyes turned to her.

"Let her go," Clarke ordered calmly.

"Why should I do that?" The man demanded. "This girl has the gall to call the Commander a coward in public! She needs to be punished for her lack of respect."

Hopping down from Juno's back, Clarke walked calmly towards the man, ignoring the crowd that split before the weight of her ghostly presence. Staring hard into the man's eyes, she took a deep breath of the alcohol on both his and Raven's breaths before removing her coat and shirt, exposing her scarred torso to the masses. Taking advantage of the man's wandering eyes, she quickly forced him to release Raven before shoving him to his knees, wrapping her hand around the wrist holding the knife she dislocated his shoulder while bringing the knife up and running it along the bottom of her back, scowling angrily.

"There," she declared, releasing the man and turning to address the crowd. "Blood has been shed for her disrespect. Now go home." All at once, everyone in the crowd turned and fled the scene, leaving Clarke to glare at a Titus from across the empty market. Spinning in place, Clarke didn't bother to replace her shirt or jacket as she leaned down to help Raven to her feet, ignoring the pain in her back.

"Clarke," Raven muttered brokenly as Clarke wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Come on," she interrupted as she led Raven past a stunned Lexa. "Let's get you back."

"I'll take her," Marcus said as he joined them. Clarke nodded and walked back over towards Juno, smiling as she received a disapproving huff followed by a lick from cleft to crown.

"I knew this was a bad idea," she said once it was just her, O, L, Juno, and Lexa. Isole and Jax had probably already gone off to make sure nobody got any funny ideas. "I go inside that tower _one time_ and within a week, I'm being spied on and threatened from every which way."

"And yet you still refuse to return," Lexa replied.

"Is that an invitation?" Clarke asked.

"If it is?"

"Well, as a citizen of Polis, I can hardly turn down one from the mighty _Heda._ "

Lexa allowed herself to smirk, and took a step forward, standing directly behind Clarke as she examined the angry cut running diagonally across the small of her back and the dark blood starting to soak into her waistband.

"You need to stop punishing yourself," she whispered softly.

"Raven is under my protection," Clarke replied harshly. "This is proof."

"Clarke, _beja,"_ Lexa pleaded.

"They deserve more than just survival," Clarke muttered hoarsely. "They deserve to live. They can't do that if every move they make is in fear of being dragged out and bled should it be the wrong one."

"What would you have me do? Overturn generations of law and tradition?"

Clarke scoffed. "Good luck with that. Not even your own advisor trusts you to maintain this Coalition. You have no allies."

"What do you mean my own advisor doesn't trust me?" Lexa asked, stiffening.

"What do you think tonight was all about?" Clarke asked, whirling around on the spot, fire in her eyes. "Titus is used to having complete control over you. As soon as I showed up, he felt threatened. I wouldn't be surprised if Raven had been goaded into insulting you, so that he could remind _me_ to stay away from that Tower of yours."

"No one controls me!" Lexa hissed angrily.

"Oh, wake up, Lexa!" Clarke shot back. "The clans respected you when you were the mighty conqueror who brought them together, but you've done nothing to maintain that respect during peacetime."

"I saved our people from the mountain!"

"You rescued your people. _I_ saved them when I slaughtered over three hundred men, women, and children. You didn't even bring them the one thing they were promised upon joining the Coalition: the fall of the mountain. _I_ did! Now they see you as weak, and me as a bargaining chip, if not a means to overthrow you!"

Lexa reeled back, as if struck, and Clarke felt a momentary pang of sympathy. "I just want my people to live in peace," she muttered.

Clarke took a step forward and placed her hand on Lexa's cheek, drawing her eyes up to look into her own. "I know you do. But you can't build lasting peace while maintaining a culture of hatred and violence. You need more than a common enemy to really bring people together."

*(OoO)*

Another week passed before Lexa was treated to the sight of Clarke reclining against the Forest Mother in the same shaded corner near her throne as before. Paying close attention as the doors opened, Lexa watched as Titus and the diplomats from the twelve clans entered, with only a few of them so much as greeting her as they took their seats around the room. She took note of Titus's deep scowl as he glanced in Clarke's direction before returning her attention to the others, whom it seemed had yet to notice her.

Calling the meeting to order, Lexa found herself paying much closer attention than she usually did. Originally, she had seen these meetings as little more than a chore, content to allow the clans bicker with each other while Titus handled any necessary mediation. Now, though, it was painfully clear what Clarke meant the previous night about not having the respect of the other clans. As it stood, they almost completely ignored her as she watched them squabbled like carrion over a corpse, and it was only at Clarke's behest that she allowed this disrespect to stand.

As she listened to the petty complaints from the ambassadors, Lexa chanced a look at Clarke, who seemed to be finding their arguments and chest-pounding far more interesting than Lexa thought they had any right to be. For a moment, she simply allowed herself to take in the beautiful creature sitting by her side. She was currently dressed in all black, both her shirt and pants hanging slightly off her frame – though Lexa had detected the subtle bulge of padding underneath as she moved. She sat with her legs folded, ready to spring to her feet, while her strangely-shaped sword leaning against her leg. Eyes the colour of a cloudless sky scanned the room analytically, and only a few locks of liquid gold peaked from beneath the dark hood draped over her head. Altogether, she looked every bit the part of _Wanheda,_ dark and ethereal. The effect was compounded by the knowledge that there were around thirty former reapers who would sooner die than see Clarke hurt, whom even Lexa's senses – enhanced as they were by the spirits of the past Commanders – had a hard time tracking them unless consciously paying attention. In spite of this, Lexa still ached as she watched the weight that title placed on Clarke's spirit constantly threaten to crush her, wishing desperately that she could simply allow Clarke even a moment of peace.

Her attention was drawn back to the arguing politicians as the leader of the Plain Riders finally noticed Clarke seated near Lexa's throne and muttered to himself.

"We'd be better off without _her_ here."

"I'm sorry," Clarke said loudly, silencing the room as she addressed the man. "It almost sounded like you said you would be better off without _Heda, Taturk kom Ingranronakru."_

"I said no such thing!" Taturk spluttered. "I was referring to _you, Skai fecha."_

Lexa was about to tear into the fool when Clarke smirked and stood up, taking a step forward. A loud rumbling filled the room as Juno's blue eyes, nearly identical to Clarke's, glowed from the shadows while she rose to her feet to stand over her cub, stepping into the light.

 _"Trimani Nomon,"_ Gaia, the ambassador from the Woods Clan whispered, awestruck as she fell to her knees and bowed before the monstrous ursidae looming over them all. This immediately made a few of the others bow as well, and Lexa made a point to memorize the faces of those who did not.

"My name is _Klark kom Kru,_ " Clarke announced. "Slayer of the Mountain, Healer, and Commander of Death. I defeated the monster who hunted your people for generations, and I have come at the behest of _ai Heda_ to provide aid to those in her city and give her my strength until such a time when I am needed elsewhere."

"Your insults towards my trusted ally have worn my patience thin, Taturk," Lexa said calmly, her cool indifference a stark contrast to Clarke's tightly restrained fires. "Leave us, we will continue again at our next meeting."

Lexa watched as all but Titus left, and gripped her sword hilt tightly as he took measured steps towards Clarke, only to be stopped by the point of her blade at his throat.

"You _dare_ raise your blade towards me?" Titus hissed.

"Titus!" Lexa barked. "That's enough. In light of your threat towards _Fisa Klark_ the last time the two of you were together, you should be thankful I convinced her not to run you through before your first step ended."

" _Heda,_ this… _girl_ is…"

"None of your concern," Lexa growled slowly.

"It would be wise to leave them, Flame Keeper," L said as he and O stepped forward menacingly.

Titus looked affronted that L would even think of speaking, let alone addressing him, but a menacing growl from Juno forced him to spin on his heel and storm out of the room. Almost as soon as the door slammed behind him, Clarke slumped ever so slightly, the weight of her role finally showing through.

"So," Lexa asked. "What did you make of them?"

Clarke's grin looked somewhere between adorable and terrifying as her eyes flashed dangerously.

 **A/N: This one jumps around a bit, but hopefully shows the dichotomy between how Clarke is normally, how she is towards the public who aren't under her care, and the role she's going to be putting on as she and Lexa start working together again.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Initializing…**

 **07/06/2150 21:18:03 EST**

 **RUN_A.L.I.E. CORE OS**

 **ALERT_MAIN SENRTY_DIAGNOSTIC(EXTERNAL(SUBROUTINE))**

 **OPEN_LiveExperiment**

 **Experiment File FA1874369-48 – New Data Found**

 **Subject appears to have established link with nano-enhancers…**

 **NOTABLE OBSERVATIONS:**

 **Increased size and stature**

 **Increased bone density**

 **Increased conscious control of metabolic functions**

 **Sizeable development in overall musculature**

 **Significant increase in blood flow around occipital lobe**

 **30% increase in efficiency of cardiovascular system**

 **Increased durability of cardiovascular system (NOTE: Possibly in order to handle increased strain to capillaries and vessels around sensory organs)**

 **Reinforced dermal layer**

 **98% Reduction in waste (See project FA0047329-95 for further details)**

 **White and red blood cell count increased by 87.342%**

 **200% increase in efficiency and creation of various neural pathways**

 **OBSERVABLE SIDE-EFFECTS:**

 **Subject has experienced unforeseen bout of melanism in both skin and hair**

 **Subject has been rendered infertile, possibly due to changing immune system rejecting foreign genetic material. As a result, Subject has shown signs of imprinting as a possible coping mechanism. This may be connected to increased hostility towards perceived threats.**

 **ALERT_MAINSENTRY_DIAGNOSTIC(EXTERNAL(SUROUTINE))**

 **OPEN_LiveExperiment**

 **Experiment File FA8342790-01 – New Data Found**

 **Despite lack of reaction to atmospheric enhancers, prolonged contact with Subject FA1874369-48 has provided entry into bloodstream through open wound.**

 **Enhancements are slow to develop, as priority has been assigned to counteracting any possible rejection. Recommend continued proximity to FA1874369-48 as well as CORE OS to ensure establishment of neural network and shared processing functions.**

 **OBSERVATIONS:**

 **Subject is experiencing significant enhancements in all areas as stated before. However, Subject's improvements are still within normal human expectations at current time. Recommend extended proximity to CORE OS to expedite process while sharing benefits with current housing station.**

 **Subject is prone to extreme emotional imbalances, most likely related to past trauma. Recommend remote activation of necessary hormones to assist in psychiatric care before formation of secondary housing station.**

 **CONCLUSION:**

 **Experiment is ahead of schedule. Early projections show no signs of rejection. Subject has willingness to fight cultural norms that impede current housing station from completing duties. Local mythology suggests Prototype has already begun using psychological conditioning to attract those more easily manipulated. No current interference is recommended. Maintain priority surveillance of updated experiments. Prioritize research into issues with fertility (NEW_PROJECT: FA1874369-49) Housing unit will maintain current directive.**

*(OoO)*

Lexa opened her eyes and took a deep breath. As always, interpreting the wisdom of the Commanders of the past was difficult to say the least. Releasing the air from her lungs, she stood and walked over to the window of her of the massive lounge in her private quarters and looked down at the city sprawling below.

"Well?" Clarke asked, not looking up from the book she was reading, curled up against the Forest Mother's side near the crackling fire that was the sole source of light in the room now that the sun had set. "Did the other Commanders have anything to say?"

Lexa smiled and watched the people moving about like hundreds of tiny ants. She knew that Clarke, like the others who came from the sky, held little stock in the wisdom of spirits. The difference, however, was that she wasn't judgemental in the slightest. Her tone when she asked held only genuine curiosity.

"There's a surprising lack of skepticism in your tone."

"My best friend is a giant bear. Who am I to judge?"

Lexa laughed quietly and turned around to see Clarke nuzzling her face into the Forest Mother's neck. "It was vague," she said after a moment, drawing the attention of two sets of blue eyes that were far too similar for members of different species. "I was given the impression that we should be staying the course. The problem is, I don't know what that course is."

Clarke hummed and quietly turned the page of her book, making Lexa scowl playfully as she watched the firelight dance across her features, adding an ethereal element to Clarke's normally radiant appearance. "What do you think you should do?" She asked.

"I think I should toss most of those ambassadors from the highest balcony of this tower," Lexa grumbled. "But seeing as we've agreed that senseless murder is not the way to strengthen my Coalition, I'm asking you for your thoughts on the matter."

She watched as Clarke shifted slightly to hide her discomfort with being thrust back into being responsible for so many people's lives. Walking over, she placed a hand on Clarke's shoulder and smiled when shining sapphires finally looked up at her.

"I just want to hear your opinion, Clarke," she reassured. "You have a cunning mind and a kind heart, and I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on the matter."

"You won't like it," Clarke murmured, looking away in shame.

"I still want to hear it," Lexa insisted softly.

Taking a deep breath, Clarke focussed on the nearby fire as her expression hardened and she was slowly replaced by the mask of _Wanheda._ "If you really want to know how to gain control of the Coalition, you need the backing of its people. They need to see their own leaders as nothing more than people who are carrying out your own orders. They need to see you as someone who cares for them and knows what they need almost before they do."

"Go on," Lexa prompted when Clarke paused to take a breath.

"First thing you're going to need are spies. People who are willing to lie to their leaders and pretend to be to be loyal while reporting to you on what's really going on within the clans, not just the abridged versions you get in your reports from the ambassadors."

"How am I supposed to trust people whose one job is to betray others?" Lexa asked.

"If they've been bribed, or threatened, then you shouldn't," Clarke replied. "What I'm suggesting is you finding a group of people who are unwavering in their loyalty, not just to _Heda_ and the Coalition, but to you, Lexa, as well. Who aren't just willing to fight and die for you, but who put you and what you fight for above everything else. Who are willing to become someone's best friend and confidante on your orders one day, and poison that person's food the next with only a word from you. Someone whose goals align with your own, and care enough for their clan that they are willing to betray its secrets to the you for the greater good."

Lexa frowned in displeasure as she considered what Clarke was suggesting. Everything about who she was railed against what she was hearing, and yet, she couldn't deny the tactical advantage that would come from knowing exactly what was going on in the halls of the other clan leaders.

"You were right," she said after a moment of silence. "I don't like what you are suggesting." Clarke chuckled humorlessly, shaking her head as she stared into the fire. Lexa could tell that she felt disgusted with herself for coming up with such an idea. "That being said, I cannot deny that you make a good point. Having a reliable source of information within the Coalition would help me to make informed decisions on how to best win the loyalty of the people."

"You would also need someone whom you trusted above all others to manage your spies," Clarke continued. "If word got out that _Heda_ was doing something as dishonourable as using spies and assassins, especially against those you're supposed to be allied with, it would only make the Clans hate you and stop trusting you, while the people would start living in fear. This person would be the one the spies reported to, and they would be tasked with sorting through the information and providing it to you."

"Are you offering?" Lexa asked, eyebrow raised.

"Me?" Clarke repeated, confusion flashing across her face. "What? Lexa, no! I couldn't do it. Setting aside the fact that pretty much everyone truly loyal to you wants nothing more than to kill me, I'm definitely not qualified to hold that kind of position!"

"That is where you are wrong, _Fisa Klark,"_ a voice said as Baldur appeared from nowhere. Startled by his sudden appearance, Lexa sprang to her feet and drew her sword, only for it to be quickly parried by _Wanheda_. Drawing his own blade, Baldur sank to his knees and held it up with both hands between the two of them. "I, Baldur, swear my fealty to you, _Skai Prisa._ I would dedicate my skills to roam the Coalition like _keryon_ in the night, and learn the secrets of its people so that you and _ai Heda_ may maintain peace and protect those who cannot protect themselves."

Clarke was clearly stunned as she gaped at the man kneeling before them, and Lexa smiled as she turned to face her. "Baldur is right, Clarke. Should we follow through with forming this group of shadows in the night, you are the only one I can think of with the will to do what needs to be done, and the kindness to keep from becoming cruel and cold-hearted. Your reputation, both as _Wanheda_ and an accomplished healer would grant you the freedom to come and go most places – particularly if it's known that you have my approval – and your close bond with _Trimani Nomon,_ matron spirit of my clan, will lend credence to suggestions that some would see as blasphemous."

"I don't know, Lexa," Clarke muttered. Lexa could see the fear in her eyes and reached out to wrap her arms around her waist, pulling her close before reaching up and tucking her head down into her shoulder.

"There is no one I trust more than you, _ai Klark,_ " she whispered into Clarke's hair. "Ever since we met, all you have ever done has been in the name of peace and helping those who need it. You alone, understand the burden of true leadership in times where there are no right answers. It tears at my soul to ask you to immerse yourself once more in the pain of such a role, but know that this time, you will not be alone. I will be there next to you every step of the way, prepared to shoulder your burdens whenever you find yourself stumbling under its weight. _Beja, Klark,_ our world is on the brink of tearing itself apart. I need you."

Clarke trembled in Lexa's arms, quietly crying as she struggled against the ghosts of her past. Lexa continued to hold her and stroke her hair and back, waiting for her to calm down. She knew it wasn't fair to ask Clarke to assume yet another leadership role – especially one that promised nothing but lies and knives in the dark – but there truly was no one else Lexa knew of who could reliably fill the role. With the revelation that even her closest advisor had his own personal agenda, Clarke was the only one Lexa saw as an equal that was not a threat. The entire idea of having a network of spies alone was enough to make the honourable warrior in Lexa shiver in distaste, which said nothing of how she would eel when actions that Lexa truly abhorred had to be taken. True, she had made questionable choices in the name of securing peace, but those were made during war, and she always treated her opponents with dignity and respect as was demanded by their culture. Clarke wasn't bound by those same ingrained teachings, and would therefore be able to do what needed to be done and moving behind Lexa's back without her having to fear of a knife being slipped between her ribs.

"Okay," Clarke whispered, and Lexa had to grit her teeth to keep from taking back what she had said at the tone of defeat and self-loathing in that one word. "I'll do it. For peace."

"For peace," Lexa repeated as she held Clarke closer for a moment more. When they finally separated, _Wanheda's_ face was resolute as she took the sword from Baldur and handed it back to him, handle first.

"Thank you, Baldur. You are truly a great friend."

" _Fisa,"_ Lexa's eyes widened as one by one all of the former reapers Clarke lived with emerged from the shadows all around the room. It astounded her that in the few months since meeting Clarke, those whom their society had written off due to the memory of their actions under the control of another, had grown to the point where all of them could sneak into what was arguably the most defended place in the entire Coalition. They truly had become what Baldur swore to be: ghosts, who could glide through the land of the living, and answered only to the Commander of Death herself. Each of them kneeled before Clarke, and Lexa could see her struggling to hold back tears as they swore their fealty to their goal of peace.

*(OoO)*

The next day, Clarke fought down her own sadness as she looked around the nearly abandoned warehouse and hoisted her own bag over her shoulder.

After swearing themselves to her, all of Clarke's friends had once more disappeared. After speaking with Lexa for a while longer about their next move, she left and informed the others from Arkadia that she and Lexa would be leaving Polis for an indeterminate amount of time to visit the other clans. Marcus was gracious in his acceptance of her invitation to join them and prove to the Coalition that not all Sky People were bad. A warning had been sent to Indra to ensure she kept a wary eye on _Skaikru_ while Clarke sent two of her newly dubbed _Keryon Gona_ to Mount Weather and each of the twelve clans to begin work on getting an idea of what was going on in each while Baldur, Taiga, Isole, and Graham stayed with Clarke and Lexa. Already, the familiar feeling of worry was gnawing at Clarke's heart, but she fought it down as she reminded herself that these were the people who taught her how to fight, and she was confident enough in her skill to deal with most enemies barring Lexa and a few others.

Hopping on Juno's back, they rode out to meat Lexa and the others just outside Polis's walls. Lexa rode on a powerful stallion who stood a bit shorter than Juno at the shoulder and was remarkably calm standing not five feet from the massive predator. She and Lexa were the only ones who rode atop their respective animals, however, as they were in no rush, and actually planned on taking their time, meeting people along the way. It was merely so as to project the image of them being above others while equal with each other. The only other one who wasn't walking was Raven, as Clarke had all but thrown her onto some cushions she had placed in one of the wagons they brought with them. Ignoring Raven's protestations, Clarke ordered O and L to use any means necessary to ensure Raven stayed off her bad leg while traveling, prompting a devilish smile from the former while L merely nodded his head with an exasperated look towards his lover.

She could already hear Raven and O arguing as they began to be on their way, and she allowed herself to smile.

"Why do you refuse to allow her to walk with us?" Lexa asked.

"She has a bad leg," Clarke explained. "I'm not going to have her strain herself trying to prove she's just as capable of walking as the rest of us."

"So, what exactly is the purpose of this excursion?" Marcus asked after about three hours of walking.

"We're going to check in on the clans, and see what we can do for them," Clarke replied. "See what they what we can provide them that doesn't involve military forces."

"I see," Marcus said. "I look forward to learning more about your people, Commander."

"As do I, Marcus of the Sky," Lexa answered cryptically, her cool gaze never leaving the path ahead of them.


	10. Chapter 10

Clarke watched tiredly as the rest of the camp slept. They had been following the roads west for about a week without incident when Baldur reported that there was a group of bandits that seemed to be watching a nearby village. Sharing the report with Lexa, they decided to stop for the night while Colste and Echo ran through the night in order to warn the villagers of the threat. Clarke had woken before the others, barely choking down a scream as she was thrust into the realm of the living, and had chosen to wait with Juno off the side of the road until Taiga returned with her own report on the bandits' defenses.

" _Fisa Klark."_ Almost as if summoned by Clarke's thoughts, Taiga appeared next to her with hardly a rustle of cloth.

"You've got their numbers?" Clarke asked quietly, watching the large fire they had built die down into embers.

 _"Sha._ We move on your signal."

"Let's go," Clarke declared, hopping on Juno's back. "You can brief me on the way."

"Will you not tell _Heda?"_ Taiga asked as she walked next to them.

"I'd rather use the legend of my title to have news of this spread," Clarke replied. "Let them think that so long as _Heda_ works towards peace, _Wanheda_ and her _Trimani Nomon_ will fight as their weapon."

Moving quickly, it didn't take them long to find the bandits, who seemed content to drink and boast about what they planned on doing with the spoils of their next attack. Taking note of the sour, tired faces of the few guards surrounding the campsite, Clarke did a quick head count to confirm Taiga's numbers before sending her with orders for her and the others to take out the guards and watch her back from the trees. She waited patiently, steeling herself with reminders that these men would be dying so that the villagers they planned on attacking wouldn't. Drawing her sword, Clarke smiled as Juno rumbled quietly in support before slowly walking into the firelight.

She heard the bandits drunkenly proposition her, but didn't say a word. Even when they noticed her blade and began demanding who she was, she said nothing. She could practically smell their fear as she continued to approach, with Juno now joining her, and allowed the guilt and pain to run through her as the men began shouting and calling them monsters. This was the role she had accepted to play in order to help Lexa bring about peace.

She had failed as a leader, and abandoned her people when she felt she was of no more use to them. Lexa was the one who was born to lead. She could bear the weight of the truly difficult choices in the name of her people; the ones that truly hurt. All Clarke could do was leave accept the blame for the piles of corpses that paved the way so that others wouldn't have to. If being the monster in the shadow of the heroic Commander was what it took to achieve lasting peace, than she would bear it. She would atone for her sins by adding to them, so that those she protected didn't have to.

Face impassive, Clarke simply waited in front of the fire, staring into the fearful sets of eyes watching her. She memorized every detail of their faces while they stood frozen in fear. Moving on instinct, she pivoted slightly and avoided the swing of a knife, quickly slicing her attacker's neck with one fluid stroke before all hell broke loose. From the trees, arrows fell one after the other while Juno snarled and tore others to pieces. Somewhat distantly, Clarke took notice of how much she had improved in such a short time, finding it rather curious before returning to her deadly dance around bandit camp. Her blades unique design ensured that not even cauterization would save those she stabbed, as its sharp teeth and hooked tip destroyed her opponents' bodies from the inside.

In a matter of minutes, only one man remained, and Clarke raised her hand to stop the others as she sheathed her sword. Walking over to where he was cowering on the floor, she swallowed the disgust she felt with herself and crouched next to him.

"You should know," she whispered calmly, drawing the man's gaze. " _Heda_ dislikes those that would prey on others almost as much as I do. Unfortunately, she doesn't have time to deliver justice to all of you. That's where I come in."

"Wh-who are you?" The man asked one last time.

"Who do you think she trusted with destroying the _Maunon?"_ Clarke whispered, ignoring the sharp sting of the lie on her lips. Standing up, she spun around and walked with Juno back into the cover of the shadows, sagging against her companion once she was out of sight.

"That was quite the performance," Baldur said as he, Taiga, Hudson, and Isole joined her.

Clarke didn't say anything, but smiled tightly when he and the others each gave her a swift hug before disappearing once more among the trees. Slowing her pace, she watched as the sky eventually became a pale grey on her way back to the camp.

"Where were you?"

Turning her head as she broke the treeline, Clarke stopped to let Raven catch up with her.

"Bathroom," she replied dishonestly.

"That's quite a bit of blood for a bathroom break," Raven countered.

"While I was awake, I figured I'd do some hunting," Clarke continued.

"Bull."

Clarke shrugged and made her way back to her bag, hoping to get an hour or two of sleep before they had to start moving again, only to find everyone else was awake as well. Stifling a groan, she met Lexa's worried gaze with a pleading one of her own, and smiled when she stepped in.

"Now that Clarke is back we should get moving. If my guards can make it to the next village in a few hours, we should make it by noon."

Smiling gratefully to Lexa, Clarke mounted up on Juno's back, and leaned forward to bury her face in the soft, dark fur of her mother. Within minutes, the gentle swaying of Juno's walking lulled her to sleep, and the threat of Lexa's wrath made sure she stayed that way until just before they reached the village.

"I take it that the bandit problem has been dealt with?" Lexa asked once she had sat up and yawned.

"All but one," Clarke replied, keeping her voice low so that she could allow some of the pain she was feeling to show. "He'll go off and spread the word that you share my distaste for bandits, and are willing to set me and my fellow monsters loose to take care of them."

"Clarke –" Lexa began, but Clarke cut her off as she continued.

"Then, after today, word will spread about how you brought me with you on a visit to a nameless village, and I spent the entire time helping their sick."

Lexa looked like she wanted to argue, but Clarke could see that her rational mind had already convinced her of it being the right move. "Fine," she huffed. "But you are staying with me, where I can make sure you sleep properly tonight."

"Good luck with that," Clarke muttered bitterly as they entered the village. Schooling her features, she did her best to look as imposing as possible (which wasn't terribly difficult from the back of a beast taller than most men). She listened as the villagers greeted them and smiled gently when Lexa explained that she would like to provide whatever help she could to their local healer. The people cheered as Clarke walked over to join an older woman inside a small hut, who explained that there had been what sounded like a wave of the flu through the village just recently, and she had been overwhelmed. Making sure to be respectful, Clarke explained that the seasonal illness could be treated with little more than time, care, and a few herbal painkillers and decongestants. She spent the day reassuring many of the villagers that they would be just fine, and helping the old woman with whatever she needed.

There was only one situation that even remotely got her blood pumping, as a child no older than three or four was suffering worse than many others – to the point where she nearly lost him. Without thinking about it, she immediately set to work doing chest compressions and breathing in his mouth, before his eyes opened and he coughed weakly. She immediately used some herbs to make a tea that would help him with his fever, before quietly singing him back to sleep, completely forgetting that she had an audience as she did so. It wasn't until she had already checked on another three people that she noticed everyone had frozen and was staring at her in awe.

Deciding she needed a break, Clarke asked the old woman if she wanted anything to eat, and stepped out when she shook her head. Sighing, Clarke raised her head to the afternoon sun, basking in its warmth as she made her way over towards her people.

"O, L, have you two eaten yet?" She asked.

"We're fine," O replied, pointedly ignoring the looks of pity and contempt being directed at her and L.

"They have yet to eat yet, _Fisa Klark,_ " Colste interjected from his seat next to a dozing Echo, smirking at the outrage on O's face. "You are _Fisa Klark's_ responsibility as much as she is yours."

"Colste is right," Clarke added patting O on the shoulder. "Go get some food. If anyone gives you trouble… just remind them who it is you've devoted yourselves to." Turning to L, she added, "Under no circumstances are you to react in any sort of violent fashion towards the villagers. You know your strength, don't let their words diminish that."

"Thank you," L said slowly, a soft smile on his face as he stood up and wrapped his arm around O. Together, they made their way towards the tent holding the provisions the villagers had given them with Clarke not far behind.

"I don't like it," Raven grumbled as she watched them go.

"Don't like what?" Monty asked.

"She left us at the mountain," Raven spat, jerking her head towards the hut where Lexa was speaking with the elders of the village. "So did Clarke, for that matter. Now we're suddenly following them both as they go about shaking hands and kissing babies?"

"Yeah, but Clarke was the one who got the kill order on Lincoln lifted," Miller rebuked.

Raven scoffed. "Yeah, by making him and Octavia her slaves."

"Aren't you supposed to be one of the smart ones in Skaikru?" Echo asked as she opened her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Clarke vouched for all of you. The only reason you haven't been strung up and interrogated is because of her. It's widely known that she has done away with her roots in the Sky."

"She had mentioned that she no longer counted herself among our numbers," Marcus said quietly.

"Great," Raven snarled. "We get kicked out of our home, and the first person who doesn't want us dead is too busy following the woman who left us to die like some sort of lovesick puppy with Stockholm syndrome."

"You'll watch your tongue if you don't want it removed," Colste threatened, hand on his dagger.

"There's no need for violence," Marcus said quickly as he stepped between the two of them.

"Marcus is right," Sinclair added, placing a calming hand on Raven's shoulder. "We were just surprised that Clarke really doesn't want to help our people anymore."

"Should we be, though?" Monty asked quietly. "Look at all she's done for us since we landed in that dropship. She made the decisions the rest of us couldn't, despite being challenged and questioned by all of us at every turn. I can see why she might not want anything to do with us anymore." He kept his eyes on the ground as he spoke, the pain in his voice showing that he was speaking from experience, and only moved slightly to lean against Miller when the other boy wrapped an arm around his shoulder in comfort.

"You are right that the _Skai Prisa_ has gone to incredible lengths for you all," a new voice said as a tall, dark-skinned man seemingly appeared from out of nowhere. "However, that does not mean she will abandon those in need. Her refusal to ally with any one clan comes from the fact that she has sworn herself to all people in need of her help."

Without another word, the man strolled over to the food tent, stopping to smile and share some words with Clarke along the way.

 **A/N: I honestly love Baldur and the other Keryon. He might be one of my favourite OCs to date. Just the way he sort of appears to throw in his two cents before vanishing again, it makes for plenty of entertaining ideas.**

 **A**


	11. Chapter 11

While Clarke didn't sleep through the night, she was surprised to find herself not being hurled from one atrocity to another. Instead, she simply woke up with a small jolt and looked around the tent where she and Lexa were sleeping across from each other. Sighing, Clarke stood and looked at Lexa. For some reason, just being around her was like a soothing balm on Clarke's soul. Lexa made her feel safe enough to lower her guard somewhat.

Dressing herself silently, she stepped outside, breathing deeply and stretching her muscles as she looked around the darkened village, the only light coming from the moon overhead and the dying coals of the guard fires. She continued to walk around the village, checking on the guards and smirking when they would startle at her sudden appearance. Many of them seemed shocked when she asked them if they needed anything, and shook their heads frantically reassuring her they were fine.

Continuing on her way, Clarke was surprised to see L swinging his sword through the air, soft grunts of effort drifting through the night.

"I take it you can't sleep either?" She asked as she drifted closer.

Spinning around, L swung his sword at her on instinct, and Clarke stepped lightly out of the way.

"Clarke!" L exclaimed as soon as he realised who she was. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," Clarke replied waving it off. "My friends and I like to try and sneak up on each other. It's a bit of a game to us, but I guess old habits die hard."

"I guess I've seen people do more foolish things in the search for entertainment," L said softly, a gentle smile on his lips. "Would you care to join me?"

"Do you have another sword?" Clarke asked.

"What's one with the one you carry?"

"It's only used for fighting and killing," Clarke explained. "Not practicing with friends."

"I see," he replied. "Unfortunately, I don't have another sword. I'm sorry."

"That's fine," Clarke said simply. "I guess I'll just go without."

"What –" before L could finishing asking her what she meant, Clarke sprang forward and delivered a swift punch to his side before bouncing away. L grunted and swung his blade at her, but Clarke simply danced around every strike. She felt like the wind, light and intangible as she avoided L's attacks. Her skills had grown alongside the other _Keryon_ during her time in Polis – building upon the base Colste and Echo had provided for her. It still amazed her that in such a short time, she had gone from having no formal training to holding her own against a warrior she knew to be of significant skill. It almost seemed as if when she fought, time slowed, and her instincts took over, never letting her make the same mistake twice.

Dropping low, Clarke snapped a foot up into L's groin, causing him to double over in pain, before sliding between his legs and leaping over his back, grabbing the back of his neck on the way down and forcing onto his back. In the span of a breath, she had slithered around him once more and wrapped her legs around his sword arm, forcing it straight as she angled the blade back at his throat. L tapped her leg and she released him, springing to her feet as she belatedly realised that the sky had grown lighter and she must have woken later than she thought as the first of the villagers had already stepped outside and were watching their little sparring match.

"That kick to the groin was dirty," O said as she walked over to help L up. Her tone and the smile on her face took most of the severity out from the admonishment.

"That's the point," Clarke replied. "Do whatever you can to take the opponent down as quickly as possible." Looking around, she dropped her voice and leaned closer to O with a wicked grin on her face. "You have no idea how many times the other _Keryon_ have punched me in the boob during our sparring matches."

O winced before laughing as she replaced Clarke in the sparring match while she went to make sure that they were prepared to continue on their journey later that day. Checking once more on their stores of food, Clarke grabbed a nice, large fish and brought it out with her to give to Juno who was dozing near her tent. Crouching down, she started to stroke Juno's snout, scratch behind her ears, and bury her hands in the soft, thick fur of her protector until those bright blue eyes opened and met Clarke's with more unbridled affection than she could remember ever receiving from anyone.

 _Except maybe Lexa._

"I brought you breakfast," Clarke murmured as she held up the massive fish. Juno yawned, startling a pair of villagers passing by as she revealed a set of powerful teeth designed by nature to pierce and crush nearly anything. With one grateful lick, Juno took the fish from her hands and got to work devouring it. Clarke smiled fondly and stood up. The soft whispers of movement on the other side of the tent told her that Lexa was already awake, and while Clarke wanted to go see her, she happened to catch sight of Raven hobbling out of the tent where her other friends had been staying.

With a deep, steadying breath, Clarke steeled herself and marched over. "Raven, can we talk?"

"Are you asking me?" Raven grumbled, the deep bags under her eyes telling Clarke that she wasn't the only one with trouble sleeping. "Or is mama bear over there going to eat my face if I say no?"

Clarke smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, you're probably too stringy for her tastes. I just wanted to apologize. You were right to think that none of you had asked come with me and Lexa. We should have thought of you guys and properly explained what was going on."

Raven sighed and put her hands on her hips as she looked down. "I just… I don't know how you can trust her Clarke. After what she did, how do we know she's not just getting ready to treat our people like another threat?"

"Raven, our people _are_ a threat," Clarke replied calmly. "From what you guys have told me, Pike would rather wipe out the entire Coalition than make peace, and I can't allow innocent people to get hurt if there's something I can do about it, regardless of where they were born. As for Lexa…" Clarke paused and took a deep breath. "She hasn't done anything that I wouldn't have done. We have more than a common enemy this time around."

Raven looked uncomfortable and readjusted herself on her good leg. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry too. I've been holding in all this pain and anger for so long, I just started taking it out on you."

"It hasn't been easy for any of us, Raven," Clarke replied as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Raven's shoulders.

The two of them separated with tentative smiles, and Clarke walked over to where Lexa was sitting astride her horse next to Juno.

"Is everything all right?" Lexa asked as Clarke jumped onto Juno's back.

"I think it will be," Clarke said. Lexa nodded and turned her head to the rest of their group, ordering them forth while she and Clarke brought up the rear.

"Our next destination should be TonDC," she said quietly. "No doubt your _Keryon_ have already delivered the message to Indra, however I would like to speak with her myself about her defensive strategy."

"If that's all, we should meet her outside the village," Clarke replied. "If Skaikru hears that I or the others are here they'll more than likely react aggressively, especially if you're also there. If I sent Hudson, he could reach Indra and have her meet us on our way to the Rock Line."

"Why them?" Lexa asked.

"Because they're being attacked by Ice Nation mercenaries disguising themselves as bandits."

"How do you know?"

"When Grom was complaining to you about the frequent bandit attacks, he was constantly throwing dirty looks at the delegate," Clarke explained. "That was my first clue. The second was when they tried the same with me. Luckily, I have friends to watch my back."

"The Ice Nation tried to have you killed?" Lexa growled.

"And they failed," Clarke replied soothingly. "Now we need to make sure they continue to fail against the Rock Line clan."

Lexa grit her teeth and took a deep breath, controlling herself before nodding stiffly. "There are plenty of reasons for Grom to be scowling," she said slowly. "The man is known for his… abrasive personality."

"Then we'll be helping a village with a nasty bandit problem," Clarke reasoned. "Either way, this will be a good first step for you to win the respect of the Clans in person. Show them that their _Heda_ cares enough to personally deal with their problems."

*(OoO)*

It took four days to meet up with Indra on the way to _Boudalan_. Each morning, Lexa awoke to find Clarke already awake, training herself. Usually this just amounted to her doing various exercises to strengthen her body; today, however, Lexa watched as Clarke sparred with Colste and Echo using wooden sticks and was amazed. Getting a first-hand glimpse at the skills Clarke had developed in the few months since Mount Weather, Lexa suddenly understood why the spirits had chosen this striking creature who came from the stars. Unbound by the typical rules of combat that even the Ice Nation adhered to, Clarke danced around her opponents, doing everything from throwing dirt in their eyes to stepping on their toes in order to destabilize them before going for the kill. It seemed without the restriction of fighting honourably, Clarke made use of whatever she could in order to expend the least amount of energy possible. More than once, she caused Colste and Echo to run into each other or trip over an indent in the soft dirt that she had made with her heel before swooping in. Lexa couldn't help but wonder what Clarke, and presumably her _Keryon,_ had to do to develop that particular set of skills and disregard for their traditions.

"Not bad," a voice said from Lexa's shoulder. Lexa focussed herself and slipped back into the role of _Heda_ as Indra joined her. "However, she'd still be killed within a minute in a proper fight."

"That's what we're here for," O countered as she and L joined them as well.

"I don't remember addressing you," Indra snarled, turning to her former second glancing at the brand on her forehead briefly in disgust.

"That's enough," Clarke said as she left Colste and Echo to join them as well. "O, L, why don't you go join the others. _Heda,_ Indra, and I need to speak privately."

Lexa watched as both devotees nodded walking away without a word as Clarke smiled at them before schooling her features and turning back to address them.

"Your devotees need to learn their place," Indra spat.

"They do," Clarke replied calmly. "Now, what's going on with the Sky People?"

Indra looked like she was about to argue, but a stern look from Lexa was enough to get her on track. "Skaikru have been making frequent trips between the mountain and Arkadia. They seem to be trying to salvage anything they can from the _Maunon_ and reinforcing their defences. They seem adamant in their insistence that they don't need the Coalition's help to survive and have reacted violently whenever one of my people gets near."

"We've just finished one war," Lexa said. "I am not willing to send more people to die against Skaikru's weapons so soon."

"You propose we let them take what they want?" Indra asked incredulously.

"I said nothing of the sort," Lexa growled.

"But that's exactly what we should do," Clarke interrupted.

"What?!" Indra shouted.

"What do you mean Clarke?" Lexa added, the smallest seed of fear planting itself in her chest.

"They think they can survive without the Coalition," Clarke explained. "So let them. Cut them off completely. Move as many people as you can away from them and announce an end of trades with them. Let them see how much harder survival is if they refuse to work together."

"That just might work," Lexa replied thoughtfully. "But it will only delay the inevitable. Eventually, Skaikru will simply spread out into Coalition territory in search of more resources."

"Maybe, but it should buy us time to settle things with the other clans. The Woods Clan is smart and powerful, they'll be able to adapt until we have the resources to find a more suitable solution. If not, there are two of my _Keryon_ watching them and another pair with Indra's people. Between the four of them, it wouldn't take much to incapacitate them with some well-placed fruits in their food sources."

"You would propose something as cowardly as poisoning them?" Indra asked.

"What was it Anya told me after infecting myself and the other children with a painful disease?" Clarke wondered rhetorically before snapping her fingers. "That's right! It was a common tactic to soften the enemy before an attack."

Lexa cringed internally at the mention of her First, but couldn't deny that her people had resorted to some less-than-honourable tactics themselves during times of war. The only reason Indra questioned her was because Clarke wasn't the Commander ordering people to do, and was suggesting doing it herself. She didn't have the benefit of Lexa's station or the justification of war to excuse her actions, and she didn't ask for it either. One look in her eyes, and Lexa could tell that she knew exactly what she was suggesting, and the consequences that would come with it.

Indra however, fumed, and looked moments away from attacking Clarke.

"You're right, Clarke," Lexa said. "You don't propose anything that we, ourselves, have not done before. However, I would rather your _Keryon_ be used as a last resort. For now, Indra, do as I say, and move your people away from the Skaikru. Halt any trading with them. Let them think that they can get by on their own, and see if they can be lured into a false sense of security."

Indra nodded stiffly, and mounted her horse. "It will be done, _Heda_."

Lexa sighed and watched her most loyal general ride off and sighed. Hopefully the ever-combative _Boudalan_ people would at least be able to provide her with some entertainment, instead of this constant politicking.


End file.
